Synthetic Biology: Inorganic Life

[Kuu]

Isn't the possibility of non-carbon-based life fascinating?

Life-like cells are made of metal

Discuss, meatbags!

 

[Minuend]

It's fucking awesome.

I don't really have anything worthwhile to say, but sometimes people complain that people don't care about kewl stuff and that's not true, we just don't always have stuff to say about it.

 

[Cognisant]

Not as much as you might think I would, I mean this is very much an isolated chemistry thing with only theoretical implications, by the time they engineer a viable strain of metallic bacteria the genetic engineering field will be making soft shelled beetles the size of chickens to, well, replace chickens and other animals we eat.

Then once you can engineer a tasty roast beetle dinner the sky's the limit, in fact as someone who's currently working his way into the field of robotics I'm really concerned that they'll get around to this sooner rather than later make most of the potential applications of my field defunct.

Tyranids vs Necrons

 

[Cognisant]

Then again perhaps this is the origins of the T-1000 I'd like to see the genetic engineers try to come up with something better than that!

 

[Czech Yes or No]

My name is Legion: for we are many.

Organics fear us. We wish to understand, not incite.

-Geth

 

[Pyropyro]

Metal based life could be possible but the Universe lacks enough metals to go by. Perhaps when the Universe ages more (and with more supernovae to spew metals) then it would be ready for such life to thrive.

 

[Black Rose]

My name is Legion: for we are many.

Organics fear us. We wish to understand, not incite.

-Geth

Nanotubes are organic and 50 times stronger than steel. The covalent bond makes metal look weak in comparison. A body built on the new biology of diamondoid would be far superiour to a metallic based like form.

 

[MissQuote]

Oh, my.



This is very fascinating.

 

[DetachedRetina]

Nanotubes are organic and 50 times stronger than steel. The covalent bond makes metal look weak in comparison. A body built on the new biology of diamondoid would be far superiour to a metallic based like form.

True but why is strength of bonding a good measure of how successful a life form will be? If the geth were made of diamonds Mass Effect series would have been a lot harder.

 

[DetachedRetina]

I guess geth weren't really made of anything except data actually. But I don't mean for this thread to get moved to the gaming forum.

 

[DetachedRetina]

Plus It seems to me that metals are simply replacing carbon as the backbone of polymer chains in these cells. They are not really bonded in the "sea of electrons" typical metallic bonding way. This would make them even softer, perhaps as soft as humans. Probably they wouldn't even be shiny like metals. A metal polymer won't really have very many metallic properties at all.

Sorry to post so many posts instead of putting all my thoughts in one post

 

[psion]

I think this is pretty damn neat. That is all I guess. Although I don't think I would be all for the giant beetle brunch. Although I guess it would be kind of like eating crab.

 

[Cognisant]

With enough selective breeding you could make it taste like apple pie, or anything, it's why beef bacon and chicken are so damn delicious, hundreds of years of selective breeding, except with the faster breeding cycle of bugs you could achieve just as much in four or five years, maybe even sooner consider how large their brood size can be.

 

[Czech Yes or No]

True but why is strength of bonding a good measure of how successful a life form will be? If the geth were made of diamonds Mass Effect series would have been a lot harder.

Lol.

 

[psion]

With enough selective breeding you could make it taste like apple pie, or anything, it's why beef bacon and chicken are so damn delicious, hundreds of years of selective breeding, except with the faster breeding cycle of bugs you could achieve just as much in four or five years, maybe even sooner consider how large their brood size can be.

Pizza tasting giant bugs? Alright I guess I'm in.

 

[DetachedRetina]

With enough selective breeding you could make it taste like apple pie, or anything, it's why beef bacon and chicken are so damn delicious, hundreds of years of selective breeding, except with the faster breeding cycle of bugs you could achieve just as much in four or five years, maybe even sooner consider how large their brood size can be.

Do you have any more info on these giant pizza beetles? Links? This is super fascinating.

I did a simple google search "giant beetles to replace chickens" and was rerouted to this post, so now I'm hoping to do a Cognisant search