Researchers at the University of Minnesota unveiled a synthetic cell that can feed, grow, reproduce and compete for nutrients. Named the Spud Cell for its potato‑like shape, the construct mixes roughly a hundred proteins, simple metabolites and 36 viral‑derived genes into lipid vesicles that self‑assemble on a microscope slide. The team posted a 190‑page protocol online.

Lead synthetic biologist Kate Adamala cautioned against labeling the system alive, noting life lacks a binary threshold. External experts such as John Glass of the J. Craig Venter Institute called the integration of feeding, growth and division “dazzling.” The researchers plan a nonprofit effort, with hundreds of millions dollars earmarked over the next decade to refine the cells for experimental use.

The Spud Cell can ingest small molecules through membrane channels and absorb larger nutrient droplets via fusion events, enabling rapid growth and division within hours. Mutant variants outcompeted originals in five‑generation competition assays, demonstrating primitive evolution. Although the construct cannot yet synthesize its own ribosomes, it offers a simplified platform to probe minimal gene sets and engineer functions unattainable in natural microbes.