image: Artist rendering of organosilicon-based life. Organosilicon compounds contain carbon-silicon bonds. Recent research from the laboratory of Frances Arnold shows, for the first time, that bacteria can create organosilicon compounds. This does not prove that silicon- or organosiliconbased life is possible, but shows that life could be persuaded to incorporate silicon into its basic components. This material relates to a paper that appeared in the Nov. 25, 2016 issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by S.B.J. Kan at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA, and colleagues was titled, "Directed evolution of cytochrome c for carbon-silicon bond formation: Bringing silicon to life." view more
Credit: Lei Chen and Yan Liang (BeautyOfScience.com) for Caltech