Promise

PROMISE - First in the Protocells Triptych

PROMISE

The first steps on the evolutionary path toward primitive life was a spontaneous self-assembly process in which lipid molecules become organized into spherical membranous compartments that contain polymers resembling nucleic acids. Trillions of protocells are generated from just a few milligrams of lipid. Each protocell is like a microscopic experiment in which inanimate matter is finding ways to become alive. If you cut open a protocell, you will be looking at molecules made of atoms born over 4.5 billion years ago in exploding and colliding stars. As Carl Sagan said, "We're made of star stuff."

Shoshanah DubinerComment