Interpolating this line of inquiry out to its logical extensions means we are on the cusp of "cognition in a dish". The stuff of pure sci-fi nightmares from previous generations comes to life. The question that needs illuminating: what does minimum viable cognition look (think) like? And how does it even require biogenesis, a minimum viable life form?
Toward Studying Cognition in a Dish (paywall)
https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S136...