US scientists create artificial cell that behaves like a living one
American researchers have synthesized simple artificial cells that feed, grow, reproduce and compete for nutrients, marking a step toward turning chemicals into life.
A team of American scientists has announced a significant step toward a long-standing scientific goal: finding a way to turn chemical substances into something resembling life. By combining dozens of different components, the researchers created simple artificial cells that display several characteristics typical of living cells.
The newly created cells are able to take in nutrients, grow, reproduce, and even compete with one another for available resources. However, they cannot yet be called fully alive, as they still lack some other hallmarks of life.
An unclear boundary
Kate Adamala, the biologist at the University of Minnesota who led the research, points out that the question of what constitutes life is not clear-cut. In her view, there is essentially no precise boundary between living and non-living matter, which is why she is cautious about calling the new creation "alive."
Other experts in the field regard the study as a remarkable achievement. Synthetic biologist John Glass of California, who was not involved in the research, notes that until now no one had managed to find a recipe for combining so many functions within an artificial cell at once. He acknowledges that the team has accomplished something astonishing by getting a cell to feed, grow and reproduce simultaneously.
The discovery is seen as a step closer to a long-held scientific dream: understanding, and perhaps one day recreating, the process by which non-living matter turns into life.
