Japanese scientists claim to revolutionize biology. They managed to artificially - from a set of organic substances - create a cell that fully functions and can multiply independently. The division itself is already a tremendous achievement. But biologists are sure that this is only the first step
An artificial cell that reproduces on its own. The creation of artificial life begins with the preparation of the "primary broth". The recipe contains several dozen ingredients. These are organic ingredients. When combined, they form a synthetic cell with a shell and DNA elements inside. The main thing here is to keep the proportion. In theory, it was calculated 10 years ago, but no one has yet been able to implement it in practice. It took researchers at the University of Tokyo more than 2 years. "The most important thing is that we were able to achieve full cell division, as it happens in natural conditions," says University of Tokyo professor Tadashi Sugawara. - Together with the membrane, the separated daughter cell inherits from the mother's full set of DNA, that is, all the information thanks to which it has the same functions. Of course, this still cannot be called a living being, but the basic mechanisms are very similar."
To make the cell "come to life", the broth is heated in a special apparatus, like in an oven. An increase in temperature provokes the cleavage of DNA components - the main condition under which the cell begins to independently produce its own kind. It is important not to bring it to a boil. Synthetic forms are born at exactly 94 degrees Celsius. After that, the cell must be constantly “fed”.
“In this chamber, we synthesize substances that serve as a kind of food for the artificial cell. Once inside a cell that already contains DNA molecules, it begins to swell, and ultimately the exact same cell with similar DNA molecules is separated from it,”says Kensuke Kurihara, a researcher at the Laboratory of Complex Biological Systems at Tokyo University.
The process takes several minutes. It is clearly seen: after satisfying the appetite, the artificial particle grown in a test tube begins to behave like a living one. The division will continue until the food runs out. Without food, she immediately "dies".
However, no matter how much such a cell is fed, a highly organized creature will not come out of it - at least for the next hundreds of millions of years. At best, it will be a useless lump of homogeneous biomass.
Nevertheless, the success of the Japanese is called a scientific breakthrough. It is believed that they recreated the model of the so-called. protocells - in the theory of evolution, it still remained a missing link, without which it is impossible to understand how life began on our planet.
What Japanese scientists have managed to create in the laboratory looks more like the simplest forms that appeared billions of years ago at the very beginning of the origin of life on Earth. While their DNA is too primitive. All this cell is capable of is to eat and multiply without changing. It is logical to assume that the next stage should be the creation of a cell capable of evolution, and then, the man, the crown of nature, will really turn into the creator of synthetic life.