Short Wave Seriously...what IS life?
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Feb 23, 2023 Crystal Rogers, a developmental biologist at UC Davis, digs into the age-old question of what defines a living being. She explores the criteria that separate life from non-life, highlighting tricky cases like viruses and futuristic androids. Alongside scientist Regina G. Barber, they debate whether entities like the character Data from Star Trek can be deemed alive. Their discussion raises profound questions about existence, consciousness, and the ethical implications of categorizing life, making you rethink everything you thought you knew about being alive.
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Defining Life's Complexity
- Classic criteria for life include organization, reproduction, growth, energy use, homeostasis, and environmental response.
- Defining life is complex, as even viruses challenge these criteria, sparking debate about their living status.
Bias in Defining Life
- Scientists define life based on what we already consider alive, creating a bias.
- This makes it challenging to evaluate life forms that deviate from the established criteria, especially extraterrestrial life.
Imagining Alien Life
- Crystal Rogers imagines extraterrestrial life based on Earth's resilient creatures like bacteria, insects, cockroaches, scorpions, and sharks.
- She questions the evolutionary effectiveness of humans' physical design, highlighting our vulnerability and dependence.