A Primer on Building Life‐Like Systems

Abstract The quest to understand life and recreate it in vitro has been undertaken through many different routes. These approaches for experimental investigation of aim piece together the puzzle either by tracing life's origin or synthesizing life‐like systems from non‐living components. Unlike efforts define life, these inquiries recapture specific features living cells, such as reproduction, self‐organization metabolic functions that operate far thermodynamic equilibrium. As such, have generated significant insights shed light on crucial aspects biological functions. For observers outside research fields, sometimes remains puzzling what properties an artificial system would need order be recognized most similar life. In this Perspective, we discuss whose realization would, our view, allow best possible emulation a minimal form