Researchers developing new form of life that's made of metal
41 replies, posted
[img]http://dvice.com/assets_c/2011/09/metal_cell-thumb-550xauto-70866.jpg[/img]
[quote]
We're all familiar with the idea of metallic life forms like sentient robots, but somewhere out there, metallic life may have actually evolved just like organic life has here on Earth. A Scottish research group is out to prove this is possible by creating reproducing and evolving synthetic cells made entirely out of metal.
There's really no reason why metallic life forms can't exist, it's just that we haven't met any and nobody's sure how it would work. To prove that it's at least physically possible, a team from the University of Glasgow has created some cell-like bubbles call iCHELLs out of metallic elements like tungsten bonded with oxygen and phosphorus. These bubbles can self-assemble, and they exhibit many of the same properties that allow biological cells to do what they do, including an internal structure and a selectively porous outer membrane that can let other molecules pass through. It may even be possible to set the metallic cells up to perform photosynthesis.
The tricky bit at this point is to figure out how to imbue the metallic cells with something like DNA to allow them to self-replicate and evolve, but this may in fact be possible: the bubbles can use each other as templates to create more bubbles, and experiments suggest that they may even be able to alter their own chemistry to adapt to different environments. If all of this works out to the point where we can at least say that yes, it's definitely possible for metal life forms to have evolved, it would have massive implications for our search for extraterrestrial life.
[/quote]
[url]http://dvice.com/archives/2011/09/researchers-dev.php[/url]
Fuck yeah science
I wonder what happens when you keep a magnet near these things.
Playing god
like a boss
If they develop a iron-based life form I wonder if it will take over the earth.
This is heavy.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;32373129]If they develop a iron-based life form I wonder if it will take over the earth.[/QUOTE]
Iron based? Wouldn't that rust?
[QUOTE=ExplodingGuy;32373139]This is heavy.[/QUOTE]
" cell-like bubbles call iCHELLs out of metallic elements like [B]tungsten[/B] bonded with oxygen and phosphorus"
this is so [I]Heavy metal[/I]
I'm terrible at puns :(
[QUOTE=J!NX;32373143]Iron based? Wouldn't that rust?[/QUOTE]
A terrifying concept indeed, a life form made of rust.
[QUOTE=maurits150;32373113]I wonder what happens when you keep a magnet near these things.[/QUOTE]
Nothing, unless it has ferrous metal in it.
they are making necrons?
This is fucking amazing. It's just like creating a basic AI in a language program, [i]except you're creating a fucking real microbe[/i].
And so... what happens when it evolves?
[QUOTE=Roof;32373212]And so... what happens when it evolves?[/QUOTE]
[img]http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2010/08/500x_custom_1281677326828_vlcsnap-2053970.jpg[/img]
The age of true metal-heads has come. KNEEL, MORTALS.
[b]METAL
IT COMES FROM CHELLS[/b]
[QUOTE=Roof;32373212]And so... what happens when it evolves?[/QUOTE]
It will seek to destroy its inferior organic creators.
[QUOTE=Chrille;32373267]It will seek to destroy it's inferior organic creators.[/QUOTE]That would actually be a pretty scary scenario.
Also - does anyone know if it's possible that these metallic forms of life can become plants - trees?
If so, we can grow metal.
I think.
Not unless the cells have the appropriate nutrients... which is metal...
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;32373158]A terrifying concept indeed, a life form made of rust.[/QUOTE]
That means my car (in theory) could be sentient.
OH FUCK :tinfoil:
Long live heavy metal.
They're late. Such thing exists already:
[img]http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/6940/862122manowar4.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=Van-man;32373443]That means my car (in theory) could be sentient.
OH FUCK :tinfoil:[/QUOTE]
Transformers, robots in disguise.
Ok on a more serious tone now, this is awesome :D
[QUOTE=Roof;32373300]That would actually be a pretty scary scenario.
Also - does anyone know if it's possible that these metallic forms of life can become plants - trees?
If so, we can grow metal.
I think.[/QUOTE]
Metal fruit.
[img]http://images.wikia.com/stargate/images/3/31/Replicator.JPG[/img]
Oh dear god no.
[quote] out of metallic elements like [B]tungsten[/B] bonded with oxygen and phosphorus[/quote]
So, would the first lifeform made out of tungsten be called "Wolfram Alpha"?
Okay I admit, that was bad.
[QUOTE=J!NX;32373535]Metal fruit.[/QUOTE]
Clockwork Orange.
Oh great so now not only will we need anti-virus software, but in the future we are going to have to seal up all the openings on our computers so these little buggers don't crawl inside.
A metallic organism, hard to imagine. It would have to be kinda flexible, not the kinda metal we've put to use.
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