Life makes more of itself. And now so can a set of custom-designed chemicals. Chemists have shown that a group of synthetic enzymes replicated, competed and evolved much like a natural ecosystem, but without life or cells.
This interesting introduction to an article called Self-Replicating Chemicals Evolve Into Lifelike Ecosystem caught my attention on Wired this morning.
Scientists have apparently created a system in which components replicate and that, once started, will continue to operate. Sort of like life. And not only will this system continue to operate, the components of this system seem to mutate. Sort of like life. Most of these mutations quickly die off on the system, but some mutations are beneficial, and allow those components with such a mutation to quickly dominate the system. Sort of like life.
Give it a read and let me know what you think.
Neat article. Another good example of just how simple, yet elegant and clever, the concept of evolution is.