Abstract

Dr Mark Haw (University of Strathclyde) will explore the latest understanding of the processes that define life.

One rainy summer’s evening in 1816, Mary Shelley dreamt of making a living creature from the assembled parts of dead ones. What she understandably glossed over is the physical and chemical ‘magic’ that turns inanimate molecules into living systems: the gap between matter and life.

Because of advances in techniques and understanding over the past 20 years, scientists are now hot on the trail of Frankenstein 2.0: revealing that the secret of life is not just about having the right ingredients in the right places—structure and pattern—but about how these ingredients move, communicate and transform, resulting in a fiendishly complex microscopic physicochemical ‘production line’ keeping cells alive. The science is potentially world-changing, from nanoengineering to medicine and health. But perhaps an even more important question is what it might mean for society and for all our lives: what will be the consequences of updating Mary’s story and creating Frankenstein 2.0?

Suitable for children age 12+

Organised and sponsored by: Society of Chemical Industry & Royal Society of Chemistry