Scientists have created xenobots that can reproduce

American scientists who created the world's first living robots, called xenobots, found outKinematic self-replication in reconfigurable organismsthat this life form is able to reproduce - and not in the way that plants or animals do.

Xenobots are created from the stem cells of the smooth clawed frog. They are about a millimeter in size and each consists of about 3,000 cells. At the same time, they are able to move around, work together and quickly regenerate. Now they have also mastered a new form of reproduction, which is not used by any of the creatures known to science.

As mentioned, xenobots are made up of stem cells. These are cells without a special purpose, which can develop into the type of cells that the body needs. To create xenobots, scientists simply scraped off stem cells from the frog embryo and left them to develop on their own.

Xenobots were originally spherical in shape. Scientists have noticed that in rare cases, they are able to reproduce through kinetic replication - a process which usually occurs at the molecular level, but has never been previously observed at the scale of whole cells, or organisms.

Then, using artificial intelligence, the researchers tested billions of body shape variations so that xenobots could reproduce more efficiently. The computer model showed that the C-shape, reminiscent of Pac-Man from the game of the same name, was best suited. This shape helps the xenobot find individual stem cells in a petri dish and collect hundreds of them together, so that in a few days these cells will turn into new xenobots - in fact, they are able to mold themselves offspring.

This is not programming in the usual sense: AI did not give commands to these organisms using code. Instead, he changed their shape, which led to a change in behavior. In fact, the form became their program.

Work on xenobots is still at an early stage, they have no practical application yet. However, according to the researchers, this combination of molecular biology and artificial intelligence could potentially be used to solve a variety of problems. In particular, they can help with the collection of microplastics in the oceans, checking the root system of plants and the development of regenerative medicine.