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Scientists, philosophers and dreamers have been wondering about life since prehistorical times, and the idea of creating artificial life has been around for just as long. The nature of life, the purpose of life, and the morality of life are all themes explored by mythological fiction as well as religious and scientific inquiry.

The idea of using inanimate matter to create life is a common one in mythology. Golems of Jewish mythology are creatures formed from inanimate clay. Even in the story of creation, Adam is created from clay himself. In Norse mythology, creatures like trolls are created from inanimate matter in much the same way, but unlike golems (which frequently are seen as symbols of wisdom and holiness when associated with prominent rabbis) trolls are figures of danger and strife.

In modern times the idea of creating artificial life from formerly living matter - corpses - is explored by author Mary Shelly in her masterpiece Frankenstein. In Christian Europe, the figure of the golem, like Frankenstein, became associated with overambitious mystics and philosophers, who are punished for their trespass into God's domain.

In science, the idea of creating artificial life is explored by scientists and engineers seeking to understand life itself, to explore the nature of life and the intelligence mind, or seeking servants or companions for humanity. Artificial biological life may be organic (based on organic carbon molecules) or silicic (based on inorganic silicon molecules). Artificial machine life is purely electronic in nature, meaning artificial intelligences are created using software and electronics to create artificial brains or neural networks, either contained in computers or robots.

A day may soon come when scientists working in the genomics industry create a self-replicating non-DNA-based molecule or cell that behaves with all the characteristics of life: a lifeform that is self-replicating, self-regulating, growing, adapting and responding to stimuli. Questions of the morality and ethics of creating and using artificial life will always grip humanity, and once the first life is artificially created legislation will be sure to follow to regulate its use and creation.

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