Caption

Protocell proliferation. Image 5 of 5. Artwork showing a protocell (artificial cell) dividing to produce two daughter cells. This protocell was formed from a synthetic 'primeval soup' containing PNA (peptide nucleic acid, orange), fatty acids (blue molecules with spherical heads) and lysosomes (enzyme-producing organelles, yellow). The primeval soup was a mix of carbon based molecules that chemically evolved to form simple cells, at the beginning of life. Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, USA, attempted to recreate this in 2006 by making protocells. See G200/112-G200/116 for a series of images showing the creation of a protocell.