Year in review: ‘Minimal genome’ makes its debut
Synthetic cell may reveal what is necessary for life
MOST MINUSCULE Named syn3.0, engineered bacteria developed at the J. Craig Venter Institute can survive and function with just 473 genes.
Mark Ellisman/National Center for Imaging and Microscopy Research
One of biology’s biggest achievements of 2016 was intentionally as small as possible: building a bacterium with only 473 genes.