Thread: Metal bits assemble into lifelike snakes

Just watch the videos, it's amazing, those nickel particles really do look alive. Especially the one with the round head, which looks like it's hunting and eating.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/snakes.html

That's pretty cool. But unfortunately I'm a Christian and don't hold with spontaneous life generation as a result, so to me it just seems like metal moving under the influence of magnetism, and moving in a flowing manner as a result of being on a slick, liquid surface.

(Yes, I know that the point isn't that they're alive, but it's an analogy for how life could have spontaneously arisen so I decided to express my views.)



Still cool though.

Originally Posted by WakataDreamer

That's pretty cool. But unfortunately I'm a Christian and don't hold with spontaneous life generation as a result, so to me it just seems like metal moving under the influence of magnetism, and moving in a flowing manner as a result of being on a slick, liquid surface.

(Yes, I know that the point isn't that they're alive, but it's an analogy for how life could have spontaneously arisen so I decided to express my views.)



Still cool though.

Then you must not like the fact that they are close to creating life in the laboratory. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sciencean...ive-years.html

I find those videos mesmerizing, and could watch them all day. I think it offers a very good analogy of how and why life behaves the way it does on a microscopic level. That they are just responding to magnetic fields. The similarities are too astounding. But it seems a very complex puzzle to unravel, and probably won't get the funding it deserves.

It didn't seem like a very difficult thing to reproduce, all you need is the right magnetic field and some nickel particles. I'd love to experiment with that.

Originally Posted by The Cusp

Then you must not like the fact that they are close to creating life in the laboratory. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sciencean...ive-years.html

I find those videos mesmerizing, and could watch them all day. I think it offers a very good analogy of how and why life behaves the way it does on a microscopic level. That they are just responding to magnetic fields. The similarities are too astounding. But it seems a very complex puzzle to unravel, and probably won't get the funding it deserves.

It didn't seem like a very difficult thing to reproduce, all you need is the right magnetic field and some nickel particles. I'd love to experiment with that.

im not here to get into an argument, I think both links are fascinating

I just wanted to point out a few words

wakata said "spontaneous life"

and you said "creating life"

very different words with very different meanings

Not really. It's religious people who think that life arose 'spontaneously'. Rational people realise that it would have arisen in a gradual process.

Originally Posted by juroara

wakata said "spontaneous life"

and you said "creating life"

I'll bet somebody 20$ that's what God-followers are going to argue when scientists actually do create life in a laboratory.

The video isn't working for me, and neither is searching google, do you have some outside links?

Originally Posted by Black_Eagle

I'll bet somebody 20$ that's what God-followers are going to argue when scientists actually do create life in a laboratory.

what if the argument is, if you create life in a laboratory it means life must be created?

Originally Posted by WakataDreamer

That's pretty cool. But unfortunately I'm a Christian and don't hold with spontaneous life generation as a result, so to me it just seems like metal moving under the influence of magnetism, and moving in a flowing manner as a result of being on a slick, liquid surface.

(Yes, I know that the point isn't that they're alive, but it's an analogy for how life could have spontaneously arisen so I decided to express my views.)



Still cool though.

God gave us skills to use them
You cannot be that harsh. Can you?
Thats just related to god in a bad way. He will be upset now. lol