Editing Portal:Science/Featured (section)

==Selected image==
[[Image:William Fettes Douglas - The Alchemist.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"The alchemist" by William Fettes Douglas (1822 - 1891).]]
'''Modern alchemy'''<br>
The goals of alchemy were transmutation of any metal into either gold, to prolong life indefinitely and to create human life. It can be argued that all of the key elements of traditional alchemy have become incorporated into conventional sciences. Transmutation of elements has been accomplished by [[Portal:Physical Sciences|physicists]]. Modern [[School:Medicine|medical science]] is devoted to the treatment of disease and the prolongation of life. [[School:Biology|Biological]] techniques provide a significant level of control over the creation of new life from non-living [[School:Chemistry|chemical]] precursors.

All of these alchemy-inspired activities within modern science continue to force us up against the boundaries of conventional science. Transmutation is difficult and expensive. Immortality is a dream of many [[w:Transhumanism|transhumanists]]. Only the most primitive forms of life can be constructed from scratch. Artificial life is still in its infancy. Creation of a robotic artificial life form with human qualities might be viewed as one way of satisfying the dream of creating life. [[Portal:Genetics|Genetic]] engineering has begun to provide tools for the creation of new forms of biological organisms.