[ad_1]
Slime Mold
Scientists have come a step closer to creating living machines – or at least machines that mimic biological life as we know it.
A new biomaterial built in a Cornell University bioengineering laboratory uses synthetic DNA to organize, assemble and restructure itself continuously and autonomously, following a similar process to the growth of cells and biological tissues, which researchers call "artificial metabolism". in Robotic science last week.
We can talk it over again
It is clear that scientists are dancing around the idea of creating realistic machines. They stop to say that their metabolizing biomaterial is alive, but the research begins by timidly listing the life characteristics of the material – self-assembly, organization and metabolism.
"We are introducing a whole new concept of realistic material powered by its own artificial metabolism," Cornell engineer Dan Lui said in a university press release. "We do not make something alive, but we create materials that are much more realistic than ever before."
wormer
The mimetic of biomaterials Endless metabolic cycle of a biological organism, which involves absorbing energy and replacing old cells. Placed in a nutrient-rich environment, the material pushed in the direction of the raw materials and food it needed to thrive – which is reminiscent of how developing brain neurons develop in the direction of specific molecules.
Meanwhile, the material also lets its tail die and decompose, giving the appearance of a viscous mold that constantly regenerates and moves towards food.
Although the little organic drop is not alive, it seems to be moving and developing as a living thing, suggesting that scientists are increasingly blurring the line between life and machine.
READ MORE: FORGET ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE; THINK ARTIFICIAL LIFE[[[[Hackaday]
More on biomaterials: Scientists have manipulated a material for robots that grows like human skin
[ad_2]
Source link