Xenobiology, as a research area, investigates biological systems that differ fundamentally from known terrestrial life in their molecular composition, information carriers, or biochemical logic, aiming to define and experimentally explore alternative forms of life. It encompasses the design and study of organisms with expanded genetic alphabets, noncanonical nucleic acids or amino acids, alternative metabolic pathways, and orthogonal biological networks that do not cross-talk with natural biosystems. Xenobiology research informs the theoretical limits of life, biosafety through genetic firewalls, and the development of novel biotechnological platforms with tailored properties, while providing conceptual and experimental frameworks relevant to astrobiology and the characterization of life’s possible chemistries.
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