"World's First Living Robots Can Now Reproduce" - Scientists
Scientists from the United States who created the first living robots known as xenobots say the life forms, can now reproduce -- and in a way totally different from plants and animals. Xenobots are formed from the stem cells of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) from which it takes its name, and are less than a millimeter (0.04 inches) wide. The tiny blobs were first unveiled in 2020 after experiments showed that they could move, work together in groups and self-heal. Now the scientists that developed them at the University of Vermont, Tufts University and Harvard University's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering said they have discovered an entirely new form of biological reproduction different from any animal or plant known to science. "I was astounded by it," said Michael Levin, a professor of biology and director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University who was co-lead author of the research. "Frogs have a way of reproducing t...