World's first living robots can now reproduce, scientists say

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Normally I'd post this in the science megathread, but this is pretty groundbreaking:

(CNN) - The US scientists who created the first living robots say the life forms, known as xenobots, can now reproduce -- and in a way not seen in plants and animals.

Formed from the stem cells of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) from which it takes its name, xenobots 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 new research.

"Frogs have a way of reproducing that they normally use but when you ... liberate (the cells) from the rest of the embryo and you give them a chance to figure out how to be in a new environment, not only do they figure out a new way to move, but they also figure out apparently a new way to reproduce."

CNN

Due to the article limit here, I highly suggest reading the whole thing and seeing the clips. As bleak as the future might seem from a scientific perspective, most of us could very well see debilitating conditions like blindness, deafness, paralysis, Alzheimer's, etc. eliminated within our lifetimes.

[Blue3]

Wait… are they robots or artificial organic life?

[Former President tack50]

Why do I feel this is humans playing God and that it can't end well despite the promises?

[Schiff for Senate]

Why do I feel this is humans playing God and that it can't end well despite the promises?

Agreed.

[Mr. Smith]

Life, uh, finds a way.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Wait… are they robots or artificial organic life?

The stem cells are obviously organic. I would argue they're hybrids - more specifically, cyborgs.

Why do I feel this is humans playing God and that it can't end well despite the promises?

Well...

[Utah Neolib]

This is a monumental moment in human history. Sad it’s been overshadowed by needless politics and random stuff.

[DaleCooper]

This is a monumental moment in human history. Sad it’s been overshadowed by needless politics and random stuff.

With the exception of the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan and the moon landing, have there been many points where a monumental scientific development was met with immediate excitement from the public?

[Samof94]

Why do I feel this is humans playing God and that it can't end well despite the promises?

Even one that looked like Summer Glau would be deadly. There a documentary about this concept.

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

This is a monumental moment in human history. Sad it’s been overshadowed by needless politics and random stuff.

With the exception of the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan and the moon landing, have there been many points where a monumental scientific development was met with immediate excitement from the public?

I can certainly think of some members of "the public" who weren't particularly happy about the dropping of the atomic bomb, like idl, the people livong in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and their friends and relatives

[DaleCooper]

This is a monumental moment in human history. Sad it’s been overshadowed by needless politics and random stuff.

With the exception of the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan and the moon landing, have there been many points where a monumental scientific development was met with immediate excitement from the public?

I can certainly think of some members of "the public" who weren't particularly happy about the dropping of the atomic bomb, like idl, the people livong in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and their friends and relatives

What is the purpose of this post?

[GregTheGreat657]

This is kind of creepy...

[politicallefty]

Okay, who had grey goo on their top 3 possible apocalyptic events list?

[Middle-aged Europe]

Why do I feel this is humans playing God and that it can't end well despite the promises?

Don't worry, we're all gonna die of the COVID vaccines first.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

The gray goo scenario is basically a thought experiment: what is the worst possible thing that could happen and how likely is it? I think that curing these conditions and illnesses is far likelier and outweighs the risk of not using stem cells or modern technology to work towards helping sick or disabled people.

[Former President tack50]

The gray goo scenario is basically a thought experiment: what is the worst possible thing that could happen and how likely is it? I think that curing these conditions and illnesses is far likelier and outweighs the risk of not using stem cells or modern technology to work towards helping sick or disabled people.

Death is inevitable

[Torrain]

Just going to drop this here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_goo

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

This appears to be significantly underwhelming. The comparison of these exhibits to a 1940s era computer in the article is off.  While those first-generation digital computers were extremely primitive, they did useful work. If we're going to make an early electronics comparison, these are probably closest to being an individual relay that might eventually be put to use.

[politicallefty]

The gray goo scenario is basically a thought experiment: what is the worst possible thing that could happen and how likely is it? I think that curing these conditions and illnesses is far likelier and outweighs the risk of not using stem cells or modern technology to work towards helping sick or disabled people.

Yeah, but it made for a good episode of Futurama.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

The real threat to automation are the car manufacturers, robots are gonna be making parts for cars no humans and fix cars, car mechanics aren't gonna be a necessity and drive trains automatic trains and bullet trains are the future