‘Protocells’ show ability to reproduce
Artificial blobs could provide clues to early evolution
![protocells](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/092915_ss_protocell-main_free.jpg?fit=860%2C460&ssl=1)
CELL MIMIC Protocells — lab-made spheres of genetic material and membrane — can mimic the reproduction of early cells. When provided with necessary chemicals, a protocell — itself produced by a round of division — can split itself in two in 8.5 minutes.
Kurihara et al/Nature Communications 2015