Before life existed on Earth, there was just matter, inorganic dead "stuff." How improbable is it that life arose? And -- could it use a different type of chemistry? Using an elegant definition of life (anything that can evolve), chemist Lee Cronin is exploring this question by attempting to create a fully inorganic cell using a "Lego kit" of inorganic molecules -- no carbon -- that can assemble, replicate and compete.

Making matter come alive

Life may not be the cosmic miracle it seems, but a process as ordinary as star formation. By assembling simple inorganic molecules into cell-like structures, scientists have created containers that can store information and compete, all without a drop of carbon. A crystal garden can appear to grow and reproduce under the microscope, blurring the line between life and nonlife. Evolution, driven by survival of the fittest, could apply not just to biology but to all matter.