09/29/2026
In July 2026 scientists published a pre-print in bioRxiv entitled "A Chemically Defined Synthetic Cell Capable of Growth and Replication". (A pre-print is an initial version of a paper before it has been peer reviewed.) The popular science press piled on and claimed that scientists had "made life from non-life", that they had essentially taken inorganic and organic molecules and combined them in such a way as to produce a "living cell". This is known as abiotic biogenesis. This is an extraordinary claim. The question is, "Is it true?" What did they actually do and how much of the popular press statements are just hyperbole.
Please join us for a riveting interview with Dr. James Tour, one of the world's foremost chemists, and other key scientists who will explore these questions in detail. We will have Biochemist Don Wallar with us to help explain some of the science.
Food will be provided.