Is life inevitable? Or are we the unbelievable result of an against-all-odds game that has produced a pair of eyeballs capable of unravelling the mysteries of the universe? Nick Lane, Biochemist at the University College London, is torn. On the one hand, life seems like it has no choice but to occur. The biochemistry of metabolism is completely spontaneous, even in the absence of cells. But complexity? That's a whole different ballgame. We talk about why life on Earth is so strange, why a metabolic theory for life is so good, why Panspermia is so unsatisfying, and how some lab results imply our understanding of metabolism isn't as good as we think. Support the scientific revolution with a monthly donation: https://bit.ly/3lcAasB Or buy Nick Lane's books: Transformer - https://amzn.to/3W8mDTI The Vital Question - https://amzn.to/3V71Oqr Power, Sex, Suicide - https://amzn.to/3WtBJ5U Life Ascending - https://amzn.to/3FAuW3G As always, let us know what you think in the comments! 00:00 Go! 00:03:53 The difference between how and why 00:08:51 Carbon, water, and the chemistry of life 00:21:42 What is electricity? Charge? 00:29:57 The physical flow of charge 00:38:08 Material basis of metabolism 00:46:29 The role of structured water 00:50:12 The gene-centric view 00:57:19 Does abiogenesis have to happen? 01:06:14 Life in the Solar System 01:16:20 The Holy Grail of Experiments 01:28:38 Metabolics First 01:36:17 What is Life? 01:40:42 The universe conspires to create life 01:46:29 Conditions for life vs the origin of life 01:49:49 Biology is the basis for the next technological age 01:57:45 Closing thoughts #evolution #origins #physics Check our short-films channel, @DemystifySci: https://www.youtube.com/c/DemystifyingScience AND our material science investigations of atomics, @MaterialAtomics THE MATERIAL WORLD https://www.youtube.com/@MaterialAtomics Join our mailing list https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Michael Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. - Blog: http://DemystifySci.com/blog - RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss - Donate: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD - Swag: https://bit.ly/2PXdC2y SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671