🔬 Scientists have created "SpudCell," the first synthetic cell built from scratch that can feed, grow, and replicate, mimicking natural cell functions. This breakthrough could lead to "made-to-order organisms" functioning like living machines.

🌱 Built by Professor Kate Adamala and her team at the University of Minnesota, SpudCell is a fragile prototype composed of 150-200 molecules. It replicates for about five generations, with each generation taking roughly 12 hours at 30°C (86°F).

💡 SpudCell could unlock new possibilities in fields like developing cancer treatments, capturing carbon, and manufacturing chemicals. The research, detailed in a paper by Adamala and colleagues Drew Endy and Jan Jedryszek, has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal but will be submitted this week.

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