Scientists have built a cell from scratch using nothing but non-living chemicals, in what researchers describe as a genuine milestone for synthetic biology. The creation, named 'SpudCell', can feed itself, grow and divide much like a natural organism.
Kate Adamala, a synthetic biologist and professor at the University of Minnesota, led the team that assembled the cell piece by piece. 'I know the full ingredient list of the cell, I know exactly what chemicals, what molecules at what concentrations,' she said. 'It is fully defined, which means we can engineer it.'
