An artificial cell with a full lifecycle has been created for the first time
A team in Minnesota has created SpudCell, the first artificial cell with a complete life cycle built from known chemicals. It can grow, replicate its genome, divide, and show natural and artificial selection, yet it isn’t fully alive and lacks a ribosome-building ability. With a 90 kbp genome (kbp – one kbp represents 1,000 base pairs), it divides without a cytoskeleton by crowding growth proteins at the membrane. This work suggests the minimal requirements for life and offers a potential “chassis” for new drugs and synthetic organisms. The project also champions open science through Biotic, aiming to standardize artificial cell research and accelerate real-world benefits. SpudCell isn’t finished, but it makes key steps toward practical biology—paving the way for ribogenesis, metabolism, and robust division.