livingan
Livingan is a term used in speculative biology and philosophy to denote a hypothetical minimal unit of life that lies between non-living chemistry and cellular life. In this usage, a livingan has a self-sustaining metabolism, a bounded system of chemical reactions, and the capacity for growth and reproduction under suitable conditions, but may be simpler than a full cell or protocell.
Typical discussions describe livingans as possessing a boundary (such as a membrane or membrane-like compartment), a
Etymology and scope: The term is a neologism formed from living and an as a generic suffix
In fiction and speculative science, livingans are often depicted as rudimentary, transient life forms or as
See also: abiogenesis, protocell, minimal genome, synthetic biology.