they should check their figures before they do a press release. . .

So, it begins.

Tea, Earl Grey, hot.

Does it have seven parts?

So at what point do self-assembling industrial processes constitute a form of life?

I actually put my faith in the immo-

*CLANG*

WHAT THE FARK WAS THAT?!?

DarnoKonrad: So at what point do self-assembling industrial processes constitute a form of life?

Never.

Self-Assembling is a grossly overused buzzword. From a chemical standpoint, any two chemicals that react with each other to form a combination of the two (A + B -> AB) will "self-assemble". It's a codeword for "We threw some shiat in a flask and grew a crystal of the product in high yield".

Now, if you were to show me something that "self-assembles" into a enthalpically unstable state, thus simultaneously being entropically unfavored due to being highly ordered, you'd have a gigantic positive ΔG, and I would be impressed. I'd be even more impressed if the scientists survived the resulting explosion. The fact that such a thing would likely violate most laws of thermodynamics would render it unlikely, however.

DarnoKonrad: So at what point do self-assembling industrial processes constitute a form of life?

Good question. . . the beginning of life probably began with self-replicating molecules, but they weren't necessarily alive- they're just basically molecular viruses. Self-replication and assembly can't necessarily be a definition of life, but probably part of the definition of life. Part of our problem is that we're really working with a population sample size of 1 (earth) and we really can't speculate on what other forms life might take. We've only had exposure to one type of life (incredibly diverse, but all related). . .

Stupid nanorod. It's all just a popularity contest!

Dr. Science-Pants: The fact that such a thing would likely violate most laws of thermodynamics would render it unlikely, however.

I can't find a link, but I remember seeing in a Canadian aerospace museum a device used to deploy satellite photo-voltaic arrays. It had a coil of thin sheet metal that was fed through a die to form a tube. The force of the tube going through this die was enough to use the new hollow rod to deploy the array, and the rod acted as a support for the array once fully deployed. This system was lighter and more compact than telescoping, scissor-type, or ball-screw-rod type assemblies.

Now THAT is what I'd call a self-assembling rod.

/ Hates to give Canadians credit for anything
// Especially for being clever

I have to turn off my alarm. It is saying it is future o' clock.

Wasn't this the last thing holding nanorods back?

It turns out it was in reference to Rod Stewart, who wouldn't be self-assembling for another two years.