‘Virtual cell’ captures most-basic process of life: bacterial division

Researchers have created a 3D simulation that models DNA replication, cell division and nearly every chemical reaction in a living bacterial cell. This ‘virtual cell’ isn’t a totally faithful recreation of the organism — the team used placeholders for some genes with unknown functions, for example. But it could help researchers understand how the mix of molecules in a cell gives rise to actual life, says computational biophysicist and study co-author Zane Thornburg.