Life without organic molecules - exploring the boundaries of life

We are familiar with the notion of carbon-based life forms, but are there alternatives? In this article, I describe an approach to build a living machine from engineering materials that lacks any biochemistry but uses engineering methods to live. In devising this self-replicating machine, we explore broader scientific notions of what life might be and how it might be realized, rather than being limited to what it is on Earth.

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