Tiny Pac-Man robot has learned to recreate
Movies and TV shows have provided us with countless prototypes of what cyborgs might look like – as diverse as the fearsomely intelligent Cylons in “Battlestar Galactica”, the fearless R2-D2 in Star Wars story and “Lovely and Helpful Wall-E”. “
Living robots called xenobots make those expectations its head.
“Most people think of a robot as being made of metal and ceramic, but it’s not about what the robot is made of, but what it does,” said Josh Bongard, a professor of robotics and computer science. acts on its own on behalf of humans,” said Josh Bongard, a professor of computer science and robotics at the University of Vermont.
Discover
Xenobots, first announced in 2020, are derived from the stem cells of African clawed frogs. Each small blob is less than a millimeter (0.04 inch) wide. They can move, work together in groups, and heal themselves – and now, create even more xenobots.
Using artificial intelligence, rather than genetic manipulation, the xenobots take on the appearance of Pac-Man to collect and bundle stem cells to form new tiny xenobots.
Xenobots are very early technology and don’t have any real-world applications yet. 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 spines of a Stegosaurus and the stick-like tail of an Ankylosaurus, that’s not at all.
Instead, Stegouros elengassen developed a large-tailed weapon consisting of seven pairs of flattened, bone-shaped beaks, fused together in an icy-like structure.
Wild Kingdom
The breath of an arctic fox froze in the air, curious hamsters and a moment of cuddling among lions.
These are just some of the breathtaking images featured on the People’s Choice Wildlife Photographer of the Year shortlist.
Important mission
Rain, not snow, fell on the top of Greenland for the first time in August – and new research suggests this could be the norm for several decades.
The Arctic is expected to experience more rain than snow between 2060 and 2070 as temperatures in the region rise due to global warming.
Another world
The gravitational exoplanet, which is about the same size as Mars but appears to have the same composition as Mercury, is considered an extremely short-period planet. All of these worlds orbit around their star in less than 24 hours.
The discovery of this exoplanet, known as GJ 367 b, could shed light on these mysterious, rapidly orbiting worlds.
Curiosity
A little more to pique your interest: