Films and TV shows have offered us myriad archetypes of what robots could be like — as varied as the terrifyingly clever Cylons of “Battlestar Galactica,” the intrepid R2-D2 in the Star Wars saga and the lovable and helpful “Wall-E.”
Living robots called xenobots turn those expectations on its head.
“Most people think of robots as made of metals and ceramics but it’s not so much what a robot is made from but what it does, which is act on its own on behalf of people,” said Josh Bongard, a computer science professor and robotics expert at the University of Vermont.
Discoveries
The xenobots, first unveiled in 2020, were formed from the stem cells of the African clawed frog. The little blobs are each less than a millimeter (0.04 inches) wide. They can move, work together in groups and self-heal — and now, make more xenobots.
Using artificial intelligence, rather than genetic manipulation, the xenobots took on a Pac-Man shape to collect and bundle stem cells that formed new tiny xenobots.
The xenobots are very early technology and don’t yet have any practical applications. However, they could one day be used to help the environment and aid with regenerative medicine.
Dino-mite!
This dinosaur was born to defend itself.
If you’re picturing the paired spikes of Stegosaurus and the club-like tail of Ankylosaurus, it wasn’t like that at all.
Instead, Stegouros elengassen evolved a large tail weapon including seven pairs of flattened, bony deposits that fused together in a frond-like structure.
Wild kingdom
The breath of an Arctic fox freezing in the air, curious meerkats and a tender moment between lions.
These are just some of the spectacular images featured on the shortlist for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice competition.
Mission critical
For the first time, rain, rather than snow, fell on the summit of Greenland in August — and new research suggests this could be the norm in a matter of decades.
The Arctic is expected to experience more rain than snow between 2060 and 2070 as temperatures rise in the region due to global warming.
Other worlds
The intriguing exoplanet, which is about the size of Mars but seems to have the same composition as Mercury, is considered to be an ultra-short period planet. These worlds all complete orbits around their star in less than 24 hours.
The discovery of this exoplanet, called GJ 367 b, could shed light on these mysterious, rapidly orbiting worlds.
Curiosities
A little more to pique your interest:
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