For first time, a cell built from scratch grows and divides
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Researchers built a synthetic cell from scratch that grows and divides.
Kate Adamala at the University of Minnesota led a team that combined nonliving components-including a synthetic genome, DNA replication system, and feeder liposomes-inside a lipid membrane. The cell grows, copies its DNA, and divides using membrane-bending proteins instead of a cytoskeleton. It relies on constant external supplies of ribosomes and nutrients. The team demonstrated a form of artificial selection. The cell is not considered alive but is the most lifelike synthetic cell yet.
What commenters are saying
Commenters are mixed: some praise the technical achievement as a step toward abiogenesis and flexible manufacturing, while others question whether the goal is worth the existential risks. Skeptics note the cell requires constant external support and lacks autonomous evolution or a cytoskeleton, comparing its lifelikeness to a brain-dead human on life support. A few emphasize that building from scratch aids understanding, and that current safeguards (no error-prone replication) make accidental runaway reproduction unlikely.