Science of Life is not new.
All people discover for themselves that they, being alive, differ from dead matter.
Western science has a long history, tracing back via the Arab understanding of Alchemy through the Roman/Greek/Egyptian descriptions back to their earlier origin, i.a. the Dogon.
Laird Scranton studied the Dogon symbolic representations for creation, the origination of matter, and the emergence of life and their implications on social organisation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wqHMSktXUk&feature=player_embedded