The operating system of life - George Zaidan and Charles Morton
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TEDEd Animation
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Humans,
octopi and pine trees alike are all made up of cells, tiny but
sophisticated systems that keep life going. Cells are almost like tiny
factories run by robots, with the nucleus, DNA, proteins, lipids, and
vitamins and minerals all playing critical roles. George Zaidan and
Charles Morton lay out the blueprint of a cell and explain how
biochemistry binds all life together.
What is the distinguishing characteristic of life? Is it consciousness? Is it growth? Is it fertility (the ability to reproduce)? Try and find examples of living things that are not conscious, or of inanimate objects that grow, or animals that are born sterile (believe it or not, there are relatively common examples of all three!). Another definition of life is “the ability to temporarily fight off the tendency towards increasing entropy.” Find the physicist closest to you and ask them what they think of that definition (you’ll also probably want them to explain entropy). How would you define life?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator George Zaidan, Charles Morton
- Animator Adam Comiskey, Dan Hurst
- Artist Sam Davies
- Composer Brian Gurewitz
- Narrator George Zaidan
