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muriel_volestrangler

(106,932 posts)
6. Since they can get the cell to divide over a few generations, it sounds like they solved that
Wed Jul 1, 2026, 03:23 PM
Wednesday

One big problem they haven't solved yet is:

For all this evidence of life, SpudCell still has some major shortcomings. For starters, it can’t make the molecular factory that produces new proteins, called a ribosome. The cells can carry all the genes they need to build ribosomes, but for some reason the parts don’t come together.

For now, Dr. Adamala and her colleagues have to feed ready-made ribosomes to SpudCells. This solution has an expiration date, though: SpudCells can keep making proteins through five to 10 generations before they fail as their ribosomes become defective.

“I don’t want to say it dies, but it stops working,” Dr. Adamala said.

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