By: Benjamin Hall
Since the existence of humans, there have been countless questions that could the world so much more understandable. Of all of the questions regarding the origins of existence, there are two questions that every person in the world has thought of at least once: What is life? Better yet, where did it come from? These two questions are so simply asked yet they are so complex. Some believe life started with Adam and Eve while others believe the life of humans began from the evolution of monkeys. To be realistic, both theories seem to be incredibly convincing, but in all honesty, who knows the truth? What is the true meaning of life? How did it come about? And how has expanded to what it is now? Martin Hancyzc and Lee Cronin attempt to decode the meaning of life and cure our minds from the intense oblivion it entails. As a distinguished scientist at the Institute of Physics and Chemistry and the Center for Fundamental Living Technology in Denmark, Martin Hancyzc strategically depicts the mind and shows the correlation between non-living and living organisms. By doing this, Hanczyc is teaching people to step outside of their shells and to venture beyond the stars and the moon because there is a bigger picture beyond anyone could ever imagine. Within showing the reciprocity between inorganic and organic life, Hanczyc’s goal is to make an artificial life form with the limited tools he has (May, 2011). In addition to Hancyzc, there is Lee Cronin who is lead scientist at the University of Glasgow. Now while Hanczyc shows people the relationship between non-living and living organisms, Cronin is simply bringing dead matter….back to life (Cronin, 2011)! Brilliant huh? While bringing matter to life, Cronin capitalizes heavily on evolution. He is demonstrating how simple single cells explain what life really is and how it duplicates itself over a period of time. The two connoisseurs are breaking life down
Cited: Cronin, L. (2011, July). Lee Cronin: Making Matter Come Alive. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/lee_cronin_making_matter_come_alive.html Hanczyc, M. (2011, May). Martin Hanczyc: The Line Between Life and Not Life. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/martin_hanczyc_the_line_between_life_and_not_life.html Mullen, L. (2013, August). Defining Life: Q&A with Scientist Gerald Joyce. E-Magazine of Astrobiology. Retrieved from http://www.space.com/22210-life-definition-gerald-joyce-interview.html Simon, E., Reece, J. & Dickey, J. (2013) Campbell Essential Biology, (5th ed.). Glenview, IL: Pearson Education, Inc.