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From 2011.igem.org

Machines

• Are there any philosophical implications in regarding living organisms as machines and treating them as such?

• What defines a machine? Vs. What defines a life?

• With that in mind, is it correct to refer to the organisms and biological systems that we create as machines? Is a machine built from scratch by man, or can a manipulated organism become a machine? Could an organism that we manipulated to serve one specific purpose, for example to produce insulin, be regarded as a machine? If yes, is there a difference from this manipulated organism to a cow producing milk?

• Is it at all relevant to discuss the difference between a biological machine and an organism?

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