Scientists say they have built a cell from scratch for the first time

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Scientists say they have built a cell from scratch for the first time that can feed, grow and replicate like a natural cell. This breakthrough in synthetic biology could usher in an era of made-to-order organisms that function like living machines.

Kate Adamala, a synthetic biologist and professor at the University of Minnesota, and her team constructed the cell piece by piece from nonliving chemical components. The creation is a limited and fragile prototype, but it could help scientists better understand the origins of life and could potentially be programmed to help mitigate some of the world’s biggest biological problems. The cell is nonspecific — neither plant nor animal — but most closely resembles a simple bacterium.

Scientists have for decades bioengineered natural cells to solve human problems. ?A famous example is how human insulin genes can be inserted into E. coli bacterial cells to manufacture insulin and treat diabetes. Scientists argue synthetic cells are the next frontier; they could potentially lead to the development of new cancer treatments and novel ways to capture carbon or manufacture chemicals.

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