At school we are told that we cannot define life, but must describe it using a list of characteristics, or things that life does. However, armed with modern technology we can directly observe the mechanism operating inside living things and see what happens in real time. This has revealed a single key difference between living and non-living things that allows us to define life, to define a living thing, and also non-life and death. As this is based on a simple, universal physical principle rather than a specific molecule or chemical process, life is likely to be a widespread phenomenon across the universe. Discussed by Prof. Simon Pierce (University of Milan) based on the peer-reviewed paper:
Pierce S. Life’s Mechanism. Life. 2023; 13(8):1750. https://doi.org/10.3390/life13081750
Location of the initiative:
University of Milan
Date of the initiative:
May 20, 2024