Life

LIFE - Third in the Protocells Triptych

Populations of protocells became alive when they evolved the ability to capture energy and nutrients from the environment, and then began to grow and reproduce. But long before that transition, the self-assembly of lipids into spherical compartments and tubules provided a structural foundation for the emergence of cellular life. Here, the tubules are seen as metaphorical cornucopias overflowing with a few of Earth's endless living species of bacteria, archaea, protists, algae, jellyfish and butterflies.