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‘Minimal’ cell raises stakes in race to harness synthetic life. Michael Lewis/Corbis Outline Synthetic biologist Craig Venter, whose team embarked on its quest to whittle life down to its bare essentials two decades ago.
Genomics entrepreneur Craig Venter has created a synthetic cell that contains the smallest genome of any known, independent organism. Functioning with 473 genes, the cell is a milestone in his team’s 20-year quest to reduce life to its bare essentials and, by extension, to design life from scratch. Venter, who has co-founded a company that seeks to harness synthetic cells for making industrial products, says that the feat heralds the creation of customized cells to make drugs, fuels and other products.