Tanja Janko interviews chemist Lee Cronin about Assembly Theory, chemical complexity, and the emergence of life. They discuss how molecules can reflect the history of their assembly, whether homochirality could be an early form of chemical selection, and how the Chemputer could make chemistry programmable. Other topics include the distinction between patterns and codes in biology, complex molecules as possible evidence of life on Mars, and primitive cell-like behaviour in inorganic polyoxometalate systems.
Hosted by Tanja Janko
Published May 19, 2026 · 1 h