Comment by shevy-java

> Demonstrate the emergence of life from chemical precursors in a laboratory setting.

> Specifically, demonstrate the unassisted emergence of self replicating RNA- and protein-based cells from a plausible primordial soup with a plausible energy source. A “cell” may be any compartment with a defined boundary.

So, right now, nobody can explain how life originated. Proving that aminoacids, DNA or RNA form, does NOT mean that this is equal to life. This is a problem that the whole field has - it still can not explain how life originated. Showing that individual components can arise spontaneously, is not the same as showing e. g. how a cell formed and so forth. Where does the encoding problem fit into any of that, for instance? You need to prove how you can assemble systems. Just having a working ribosome does not connect it to DNA as a genetic backup system; and RNA tends to be unstable. Even when you have assumptions how this works together, you need to prove that this is how things originate(d). Nobody has done so since decades. It is an unsolved problem.