The 238,000-Base-Pair Organism That Can Copy Itself but Can’t Feed Itself

Researchers have reconstructed a tiny archaeal genome (about 238,000 base pairs) — Candidatus Sukunaarchaeum mirabile — that keeps genes for DNA replication and ribosome construction but lacks most metabolic pathways and relies on a host for nutrients. It still builds its own ribosomes and messenger RNA, which distinguishes it from true viruses while making its lifestyle strikingly virus‑like. — Shows the boundary between viruses and cellular life is empirically fuzzy, affecting how we classify life, interpret evolutionary pathways, and assess risks/controls for engineered minimal organisms.