Synthetic cell

SpudCell

Synonym: synthetic cell. Example 1: SpudCell feeds, grows, and replicates for about five generations. Example 2: SpudCell is an incredibly wimpy organism that currently does little more than eat and occasionally make a daughter cell.

Made up of 150 to 200 molecules

Simple system

breakthrough

Synonym: advance. Example 1: Scientists described the synthetic cell as a breakthrough in synthetic biology. Example 2: Researchers called it one of the biggest breakthroughs in the synthetic cell field.

synthetic biology

Synonym: bioengineering. Example 1: Synthetic biology could usher in an era of made-to-order organisms. Example 2: Scientists see synthetic biology as the next frontier in solving human problems.

usher

Synonym: introduce. Example 1: The discovery could usher in a new era of bioeconomy. Example 2: Scientists believe it may usher in made-to-order organisms.

made-to-order organisms

Synonym: custom organisms. Example 1: Researchers envision made-to-order organisms designed for specific tasks. Example 2: Such organisms may help solve biological problems.

living machines

Synonym: bio-machines. Example 1: Synthetic organisms may function like living machines. Example 2: Living machines could one day manufacture useful chemicals.

Minnesota

Synonym: U.S. state. Example 1: Kate Adamala is a professor at the University of Minnesota. Example 2: The synthetic cell project was led by a team based in Minnesota.

Kate Adamala

Synonym: scientist. Example 1: Kate Adamala constructed the cell from nonliving chemical components. Example 2: Adamala named her creation SpudCell.

fragile prototype

Synonym: delicate model. Example 1: SpudCell is a limited and fragile prototype. Example 2: The fragile prototype could help scientists understand the origins of life.

resembles

Synonym: resembles = looks like. Example 1: SpudCell most closely resembles a simple bacterium. Example 2: The synthetic cell resembles a natural cell but is not identical to one.

bioengineered natural cells to solve human problems

Engineered cells

frontier

Synonym: boundary. Example 1: Scientists believe synthetic cells are the next frontier. Example 2: The frontier of synthetic biology may lead to new treatments.

has 37 trillion cells

Human body

not “life created in the lab” but a “genuine milestone on the road toward that question”

Important step

baggage

Synonym: burden. Example 1: Building cells from scratch removes the evolutionary baggage of natural biology. Example 2: Scientists are no longer tied to the baggage carried by natural cells.

convincingly

Synonym: persuasively. Example 1: The work organized chemistry so convincingly that it appeared life-like. Example 2: The researchers convincingly demonstrated cell growth and replication.

stem cell research

Synonym: cell reprogramming. Example 1: Synthetic biology is separate from stem cell research. Example 2: Stem cell research manipulates existing biological cells.

It is far less complex than a biological cell that holds millions, if not billions, of molecules.

Much simpler

wimpy

Synonym: weak. Example 1: Adamala called SpudCell an incredibly wimpy organism. Example 2: The wimpy cell does little more than eat and reproduce.

Each generation requires feeding and takes roughly 12 hours to replicate at a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius.

Slow replication

The synthetic cell’s genome is far smaller than that of a natural cell, with 90,000 base pairs. (E. coli’s genome has 4.6 million base pairs.)

Small genome

SpudCell is also unable to make its own ribosomes, key parts of a natural cell that make proteins. Instead, it uses E. coli ribosomes that are supplied through feeding.

External ribosomes

chassis

Synonym: framework. Example 1: Adamala described SpudCell as a chassis to build upon. Example 2: The chassis will support future improvements to the cell.

straddles

Synonym: bridges. Example 1: SpudCell straddles the line between chemicals and life. Example 2: The synthetic cell straddles two scientific categories.

noting that while physicists still don’t fully understand the mysteries of gravity, engineers can nonetheless build bridges.

Practical knowledge

safeguards

Synonym: protections. Example 1: Scientists plan to engineer safeguards into future versions of SpudCell. Example 2: Safeguards could reduce potential risks.

fail-safes

Synonym: backups. Example 1: Researchers hope to include fail-safes in the genome. Example 2: Fail-safes would help prevent unwanted outcomes.

posing

Synonym: causing. Example 1: The current version of SpudCell is not posing biosafety risks. Example 2: Scientists aim to prevent the cell from posing dangers if released.

guardrails

Synonym: limits. Example 1: Ethical discussions focus on who sets guardrails for the technology. Example 2: Guardrails may guide the future use of synthetic cells.

endures

Synonym: persists. Example 1: Zoloth hopes the project endures in its idealistic form. Example 2: A shared framework will succeed only if it endures over time.

idealistic

Synonym: visionary. Example 1: The project was described as idealistic. Example 2: Researchers hope their idealistic goals benefit society.

fall in line

Synonym: conform. Example 1: Not all scientists may fall in line behind the same approach. Example 2: Different teams may refuse to fall in line with a common standard.

speedrun

Synonym: accelerate. Example 1: Adamala hopes researchers can speedrun the technology's development. Example 2: The international community may help speedrun useful applications of SpudCell.