Xenobots, the first living robots created from stem cells of African clawed frog embryos, could have potential uses in healthcare and environmental protection. They are composed entirely of living matter and can perform simple tasks. However, ethical concerns must be addressed. Advances in preventive medicine and organ transplants have also been made.
Have no fear, but the xenobots are coming. They mean no harm and, in fact, could one day do wonders for life on Earth and the planet itself.
Xenobots are miniature organisms that scientists describe as the first living robots. Researchers took stem cells from African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) embryos and replicated the designs suggested by a University of Vermont supercomputer, thus creating new life forms capable of performing simple tasks, such as moving in one direction.
Being able to program living cells to perform specific tasks could eventually lead to applications such as cleaning up radioactive waste and delivering needed medicines within the human body. Though described as robotic, the tiny organisms are actually composed entirely of living matter.
For now, the xenobots contain fewer than 1,000 cells and are less than 04 inches (1 mm) long. They can only survive 10 days, at best. While xenobots appear to have many potential uses in healthcare, environmental protection, and more, they also raise ethical issues, and their developers said the way forward must include discussions to alleviate these concerns.
The science of health care:
In 2000, the Human Genome Project successfully completed the first comprehensive model of the human genome, setting the stage for advances in preventive medicine.
Although heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the United States, heart disease-related deaths have dropped 60 percent since the 1980s, thanks to preventative medicine and new treatments.
In 1954, doctors obtained the first human organ transplant, a kidney transplant. Today, transplantable organs include the heart, liver, lungs, pancreas, intestines, and more.
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