If synthetic cells are ever made, they may look like this illustration of translucent bubbles under the microscope. Westend61/Getty Images Nature is beautiful, powerful and essential. But nature is not always gentle. The same biological world that gives rise to forests, coral reefs and human life also produces infections, cancer, genetic disease, crop blights and toxins. Natural processes can heal, sustain and inspire, but they can also destroy. That dichotomy is part of what drives the field o