And so mankind forges on ahead with playing God. Even with stem cell research yet to gain acceptance from various sectors of society, here comes yet another surefire controversial scientific conquest: artificial life. It has been approximated by experts that in three to ten years' time, "wet artificial life" would have been made possible.

But before you go raising that moral eyebrow, scientists are quick to point out that this would ultimately benefit man (who else) especially in finding potential solutions for all those problems hounding us, be it environmental (ie. containing greenhouse gases, getting rid of toxic waste) or conquering fatal diseases. However, it is to be expected that there will be major hurdles to overcome before the endeavor can prove to be a success:

• A container, or membrane, for the cell to keep bad molecules out, allow good ones, and the ability to multiply.
• A genetic system that controls the functions of the cell, enabling it to reproduce and mutate in response to environmental changes.
• A metabolism that extracts raw materials from the environment as food and then changes it into energy.