A breakthrough in synthetic biology,
developing world's first "bottom-up" cell,
capable of completing full life cycle.
Spudcell...
Irregular, blobby shape resembling potato,
can feed, grow, and replicate their genome,
using non-living chemical components.
Created in soup of molecules, genes & lipids,
spontaneously formed cell-like membranes,
as if performing a miracle.
Researchers celebrate achieving milestone,
still, there are doubts, some hesitations,
to consider this cell truly alive.
It can't manufacture its own ribosomes,
borrowed components degrade over time,
lineage failing after 5 to 10 generations.
Spudcells...
As we ponder on threshold for life,
would we consider it superior to viruses,
when viruses can survive while it decays.
For, scientific definitions are clear,
triad of metabolic network, membrane & information carrier,
which were fulfilled by Spudcell.
Still, it is early to speculate,
we don't know how things evolve,
and we might form artificial life!
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