Good question, it's addressed in the article: "This research is far from the first attempt at mimicking life digitally: for example, simulations such as the Ga

Good question, it's addressed in the article: "This research is far from the first attempt at mimicking life digitally: for example, simulations such as the Game of Life, which has a grid of cells that are either “alive” or “dead” and are governed by simple rules, have shown self-replicating behaviour. Laurie says what makes this work unique is that the system had no formal rules, goals or processes to encourage or kick-start artificial life – it simply arrived. “It all fizzes around and then suddenly: boom, they’re all the same,” he says." Another user posted a link to the full (non paywalled) article, it's worth a read. It also presents a few critic views.