2019 Articles

Opinion: How to Define Life

Loike, John D.; Pollack, Robert

This article explores the challenges of defining life in the context of rapidly advancing technologies such as synthetic biology and artificial intelligence (AI). The authors propose a definition of life that centers on an organism's ability to reproduce, undergo natural selection, and experience mortality. They argue that while synthetic DNA organisms might be considered living, AI robots do not meet their criteria. The article emphasizes the importance of defining life to navigate ethical boundaries and potential future challenges posed by new life forms.