In 2020, a team of scientists from Tufts University in Massachusetts He succeeded in creating xenobots, which are considered the first living robots, from frog embryo cells. Circular in shape and rarely exceeding a millimeter in size, these prosthetic organisms consist of clusters of cells and have no digestive system or nerve cells. Xenobots are also expected to naturally disintegrate in about two weeks.
At that time, the discovery of these new organisms was already considered an event in the world of scientific research. It was without relying on a new study, Posted at the end of November in the post PNAS, Which comes to provide unexpected and unusual information about their breeding process.
The birth of “Baby Xenobot”
We learn from these organisms to actually reproduce Watchman. According to a new study by researchers at the University of Vermont, xenobots may have a file “offspring” By sticking to independent cells and creating new masses. This is called replication, more precisely Kinetic self-replication.
According to the British Journal, the team of researchers discovered this unusual process by observing active xenobots in Petri dishes containing pond water as well as independent frog embryonic cells. While “swim” in this water, some of the robots bump into independent cells and then gather in piles, says Professor Josh Bongaard, a co-author of the study. If this mound is large enough, it forms a new microorganism, ‘Baby Xenobot’.
One small step for xenobots, one big scientific step
The researchers explain that xenobots, usually, can only reproduce once. However, thanks to artificial intelligence systems, they have noticed that some of these living robots can replicate themselves over several generations if they have a C-shaped structure, such as Video game character backman“ Report Watchman.
While these organisms sound like they might be from science fiction movies, researchers are particularly excited about the future of these organisms in the world of research. Professor Josh Bongaard hopes they can be used to repair electrical circuits, and is even venturing to imagine that one day they could be exploited to avoid the need for certain surgeries.
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