KR Callaway in The New York Times:
In a lab at the University of Minnesota, scientists have constructed a cell-like system that seems to perform all the functions of life. Squirming around in its petri dish, the so-called SpudCell feeds, grows and then divides, creating more SpudCells that compete and change across generations.
…Unlike previous attempts to create lifelike cells, which have started with living cells whose genetic material is stripped down to the very basics, SpudCell is constructed from the “bottom up,” using lifeless chemical components. It’s the first time an artificial cell constructed this way has been able to complete a full life cycle and spawn the next generation.
…For now, most synthetic biologists agree that no artificial cell has yet passed that threshold between lifelike and alive — and SpudCell’s originators do not claim to have created life, either. The newly created SpudCell still has several key limitations that separate it from living cells.
More here.
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