Associate professor Kate Adamala and her research team at the University of Minnesota have created synthetic cells known as SpudCells, capable of feeding, growing, and dividing. These cells are constructed from nonliving chemical components and mark a major advancement in synthetic cell biology. Unlike earlier synthetic cells that required external stimulation to grow, SpudCells can grow on their own thanks to proteins contained within them. While SpudCells perform functions commonly associated with living organisms, they are not yet classified as alive. They require a continuous supply of building blocks to function and are highly sensitive to their environment, ceasing operations if conditions are not ideal. The question of what constitutes life remains a topic of debate. Adamala references a famous quote from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: "I will know it when I see it," highlighting the difficulty in defining life with absolute criteria. NASA defines life as a self-replicating chemical system capable of Darwinian evolution. However, Adamala notes that this definition would exclude humans, as they require another person to reproduce. This underscores the idea that definitions of life can be context-dependent and vary based on different perspectives. The name SpudCells was inspired by Sputnik, the first artificial satellite that launched the Space Age. Adamala sees SpudCells as a proof of concept, demonstrating that chemical components can be assembled into systems capable of growth, division, and selection. This could potentially lead to a new era in biology. The process by which SpudCells "eat" is similar to how simple organisms like bacteria consume nutrients. However, their method of division differs from natural cells, as it is genetically encoded. The cell’s genome directs protein production, and when enough proteins accumulate on the cell membrane, the cell initiates the division process.