Synthetic

• Scientists have created "SpudCells," synthetic, quivering spheres made using lab-designed DNA that are capable of feeding and multiplying. • The research demonstrates a "survival of the fittest" mechanism, where SpudCells with genetic growth advantages can outcompete and replace original populations. • Prof Tom Ellis of Imperial College London described the achievement as potentially the field's "biggest breakthrough in recent times."

Tiny, quivering spheres designed to feed and multiply raise prospect of artificial organisms to make drugs, food and fuelResearchers claim they are closer to creating life from scratch after building tiny, quivering blobs that use lab-made DNA to feed, grow and multiply in a dish.The synthetic cells were made from chemical compounds and are believed to be the first to demonstrate the complete cell cycle of growth, genetic replication and splitting to produce the next generation. Continue reading...

Experts say natural kratom may offer benefits and blame synthetic derivatives for surge in poisonings noted by CDCA recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report shows that kratom poisonings have soared in the US, but experts say this is probably due to synthetic derivatives like 7-OH, and that blanket kratom bans could harm people using natural kratom to aid pain management or addiction recovery.Walter Prozialeck, a pharmacology professor at Midwestern University, said he was unsurprised by the report, which found that kratom-related poisonings went up by about 1,200% over the last decade, with a marked surge in 2025. Continue reading...