In a remarkable scientific advance, researchers have created a synthetic cell capable of consuming nutrients, growing, and dividing — the fundamental behaviors of life. According to The Hindu, the team started with a liposome — a tiny bubble made of fats — and loaded it with a protein-making system called PURE, which contains the molecular machinery needed to convert DNA into proteins.
The achievement blurs the line between chemistry and biology and could eventually lead to breakthroughs in drug delivery, biomanufacturing, and our basic understanding of what it means to be alive.
