# Separate-Origin Life Could Reveal Another Biology by Robert Shapiro > “When we discover separate origin life, we will hit the jackpot. It will truly be made of a different flesh. Biochemists will be fascinated to learn how life functions such as energy capture, information storage and catalysis can be carried out by materials different from the life we know.” > **— Robert Shapiro**, *2009 Edge Annual Question, response passage* ## Sources and Context - **Direct publication and locator:** [A SEPARATE ORIGIN FOR LIFE — Robert Shapiro](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11159) — 2009 Annual Question response, contiguous sentence(s) within the representative extract. - **Exact original excerpt:** “When we discover separate origin life, we will hit the jackpot. It will truly be made of a different flesh. Biochemists will be fascinated to learn how life functions such as energy capture, information storage and catalysis can be carried out by materials different from the life we know. The field of biology will be greatly enriched, and a host of new technical innovations may arise from the new knowledge, but even this would not change everything. The largest impact would take place in the way that we view our existence and plan for our future.” - **Context and editing:** The poster preserves Shapiro’s future-facing condition and takes three contiguous sentences. “Separate origin” means life arising independently of known Earth life; the essay later discusses possible consequences. No editorial words were inserted. - **Local Edge archive:** [[research/Edge 2009 Full Quotation Curation|Edge 2009 Full Quotation Curation]], response EDGE2009-039. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Article:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Biosphere|Biosphere]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Biosphere|Biosphere]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “When we discover separate origin life, we will hit the jackpot. It will truly be made of a different flesh. Biochemists will be fascinated to learn how life functions such as energy capture, information storage and catalysis can be carried out by materials different from the life we know.” — Robert Shapiro, 2009 Edge Annual Question, response passage https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-robert-shapiro-separate-origin-life-reveal-another-biology ```