In a laboratory, researchers have created something new from chemicals that are not alive. This tiny cell, called SpudCell, can eat, grow, and make copies of itself. It was built from scratch by scientists at the University of Minnesota. Unlike other experiments that used parts of living cells, this team used only non-living materials.
One of the lead scientists, Kate Adamala, explained that they have recreated the basic behaviors of a cell using chemistry. She said this shows that important life functions like growing and dividing do not need something special or magical. The name SpudCell is a reference to Sputnik, the first satellite. The scientists chose this name to honor the space mission and because Adamala did not want the invention named after her.
SpudCell is very simple. It uses only 90,000 DNA base pairs, which is less than previously thought necessary for a cell to work. To get energy, SpudCell absorbs nutrients from small bubbles. When it needs to divide, it builds up proteins on its surface until it splits into two new cells. This is a simple method compared to how natural cells divide.
Researchers observed that SpudCell can change over time. When they made a change that helped some cells eat faster, those cells grew more quickly. This shows a type of natural selection. However, the scientists emphasize that SpudCell is not truly alive. It needs help from scientists to survive and can only divide a limited number of times. It is not dangerous and cannot live outside a lab. The creators believe this technology could be used in the future to make medicines and materials more efficiently. They have started an organization called Biotic to share this technology with other researchers.