Living systems are capable of manufacturing processes, molecular recognition and other complex functions which cannot be replicated by synthetic chemistry or other industrial technologies. Cells routinely manufacture monodisperse nanoscale structures and assemble molecular machines, carry out biochemical reactions and production processes of great complexity, and interact with the environment in an adaptive and emergent manner. Biotic (i.e., living) system s can be labile and, by their nature, difficult to precisely control. The ability to elucidate key metabolic pathways and to replicate...