In a lab at the University of Minnesota, a tiny blob eats, grows, competes, divides and replicates—nearly everything a living cell does. Called the SpudCell, its makers say it is the first synthetic cell to complete a full cellular life cycle. The announcement of the synthetic cell earlier this month was met with a mix of shock and awe, with many asking whether it could be deemed alive. But after just five generations, something in the SpudCell breaks—and some experts argue that perhaps it isn’t so close to life after all.
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