«What I cannot create, I do not understand», "Understand that one must know how to make in order to understand," read the blackboard of Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize winner in Physics in 1965 and renowned teacher, after his death. But when it comes to life, isn't there a risk of mistaking oneself for a demiurge? This is, in fact, the whole point of Frankenstein's monster, which appeared in 1818 in the writings of Mary Shelley. It is also the theme of the Jewish myth of the golem, which recounts how Talmudic scholars could breathe life into a mass of clay to produce an artificial being, devoid of speech or free will, yet capable of defending its creator and its community.
In the 21st centurye In the 21st century, with recent advances in biology and chemistry, reality is catching up with myth. Several scientific communities are seeking to unravel the fundamental mysteries of biology. Creating artificial life seems possible, and some even believe that it has already been achieved.
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