Friday, 17 January 2020

Frog March

Scientists in the USA have reportedly designed 'living robots' from frog stem cells (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/13/scientists-use-stem-cells-from-frogs-to-build-first-living-robots ). The tiny 'organisms' are made from combinations of passive skin cells and contractile heart cells  and can be designed, using algorithms, to move on 'legs' in a particular direction or to have a collecting pouch. The hope is that they can be utilised for a variety of tasks such as collecting microplastic particles in the oceans or clearing plaque from the coronary arteries (which increases the chance of a heart attack). There would, presumably, have to be detailed trials before they were let loose on the world?
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Sandwich Island Saga 35. Red-crested cardinal (Paroaria coronata)

Joined in beaches by these birds 

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