Hamster cells have learned to harness sunlight for nutrition, astonishing researchers. (See photo)

While some scientists are cultivating mice with genes from unicellular organisms, others have taken it a step further by enabling animal cells to perform photosynthesis. The most surprising aspect is that they succeeded, albeit briefly.

The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Its aim was to develop a methodology for creating artificial cells that could potentially be used for new treatment methods or for growing artificial food.

Photosynthesis is the process of converting atmospheric carbon into sugars using sunlight, and plants are the most well-known organisms capable of this. The process occurs thanks to an organelle called the chloroplast, which is responsible for converting solar energy into nutrients.

For this study, the researchers chose one of the simplest plants — the red algae Cyanidioschyzon merolae. It has retained a primitive structure and typically survives in conditions of high temperature and acidity. Additionally, it possesses a large number of genes (243), making it more resilient compared to other photosynthetic organisms.

By separating chloroplasts using a centrifuge and a special solution, the scientists integrated them into the Chinese hamster ovary cells. These cells are widely used in biotechnologies due to their resilience to external factors.

As a result of co-cultivation, it was found that approximately 20% of the hamster cells incorporated 1-3 chloroplasts, while 1% managed to integrate between 7 and 45 chloroplasts.

The organelles maintained their structure for 2 days post-integration and continued to photosynthesize while surrounded by mitochondria (organelles that store energy), indicating possible intracellular interaction. However, by the fourth day, their structures were disrupted, and their activity declined.

Nonetheless, the authors of the study noted that during this time, the growth rate of cells with chloroplasts was higher than that of the control group. Initially, the researchers expected that the chloroplasts would be digested by animal cells within a few hours, but the outcome exceeded their expectations.

Although the idea that in the future we might obtain most of the essential nutrients for survival simply by basking in the sun is quite appealing, this technology currently holds the greatest potential in the realm of creating artificial food products, such as in the area of cultivating artificial meat.

In the wild, animal cells cannot cultivate chloroplasts; however, some animals have learned to steal them from algae and integrate them into their structures. For example, a sea slug known as the sea sheep (Costasiella kuroshimae) can live purely on sunlight for several days to several months, depending on the conditions.

As previously reported, a Croatian scientist injected herself with a cocktail of dangerous viruses to eliminate cancer. Surprisingly, she succeeded.