Building a live cell from non‐living building blocks would be a fundamental breakthrough in
biological sciences, and it would enable engineering new lineages of life, not directly …

Highlights•The bottom-up reconstitution of biological systems will give new insights into the
mechanisms and origin of life.•Cutting-edge biotechnological tools and methods facilitate …

Recent progress in the chemical construction of colloidal objects comprising integrated
biomimetic functions is paving the way towards rudimentary forms of artificial cell-like entities …

Addressing the emergence of life from a systems biology perspective, this new edition has
undergone extensive revision, reflecting changes in scientific understanding and evolution …

Previous efforts to control cellular behaviour have largely relied upon various forms of
genetic engineering. Once the genetic content of a living cell is modified, the behaviour of …

A gene-directed chemical communication pathway between synthetic protocell signaling
transmitters (lipid vesicles) and receivers (proteinosomes) was designed, built and tested …

Synthetic cells, artificial cell‐like particles, capable of autonomously synthesizing RNA and
proteins based on a DNA template, are emerging platforms for studying cellular functions …

The spontaneous assembly of micro-compartmentalized colloidal objects capable of
controlled interactions offers a step towards rudimentary forms of collective behaviour in …

Artificial cells that encapsulate DNA-programmable protein expression machinery are
emerging as an attractive platform for studying fundamental cellular properties and …

It is ironic that modern biology—considered by many to be the pre-eminent science of the
21st century—tells us everything we know about life as it exists today, but nothing …