This Cell Feeds, Grows and Reproduces. And It's Manmade. [View all]
Source: NYT
Scientists have long dreamed of discovering the alchemy by which chemicals can be turned into life. On Wednesday, a team at the University of Minnesota announced that it had taken a major step toward that vision.
Blending together dozens of ingredients, the researchers have synthesized simple cells that feed, grow, reproduce and compete with one another for food. If these cells are not yet fully alive, they have most of the hallmarks of life.
“Life is not binary,” said Kate Adamala, a synthetic biologist who led the research. “That’s why I’m hesitant to call this ‘alive.’ There’s no clear line, as much as we would love it to be.”
Until now, scientists had never mastered the recipe for a cell that can perform so many functions, said John Glass, a synthetic biologist at the J. Craig Venter Institute in La Jolla, Calif., who was not involved in the study.
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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/07/01/science/spudcells-synthetic-cell.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uVA.Wvs7.RY-OET5NOt13&smid=url-share
Gift link from John Scalzi's post on Bluesky:
Whoa
— John Scalzi (@scalzi.com) 2026-07-01T14:23:09.229Z
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
You should see the replies there.
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