科學家把青蛙細胞變成活的機器

科學家把青蛙細胞變成活的機器

Scientists have taken a bold leap into the future with robots built from frog parts.

科學家們向未來邁出了大膽的一步，用青蛙的細胞來制造機器人。

New research published this week in PNAS from Tufts University and the University of Vermont describes how frog stem cells can create a unique hybrid of organic and inorganic parts — living machines that power themselves.

本周，塔夫茨大學和佛蒙特大學在《美國國家科學院院刊》上發(fā)表的一項新研究描述了青蛙干細胞是如何創(chuàng)造出一種獨特的有機和無機混合物的——為自身提供能量的活機器。

A manufactured quadruped organism, 650-750 microns in diameter — a bit smaller than a pinhead. (Photo: Douglas Blackiston, Tufts University)

For their designs, researchers used a supercomputer to create an "evolutionary algorithm," essentially a program that models random configurations of skin and heart cells. Then those models are tested in a virtual environment under various conditions. One model might for example, be able to move under its own steam farther than others. That model then provides the basis for more designs, which are in turn, tested in virtual environments.

在他們的設計中，研究人員使用超級計算機創(chuàng)建了一個“進化算法”，本質(zhì)上是一個模擬皮膚和心臟細胞隨機配置的程序。然后在虛擬環(huán)境中對這些模型進行各種條件下的測試。例如，一個模型可能比其他模型在自己的動力下走得更遠。然后，該模型為更多的設計提供了基礎，這些設計將在虛擬環(huán)境中進行測試。

About 100 generations later, scientists choose the most efficient models to produce in the lab, adding early stage skin and heart cells from African clawed frog embryos.

大約100代后，科學家們選擇了最有效的模型在實驗室中生產(chǎn)，加入早期非洲爪蛙胚胎的皮膚和心臟細胞。

In effect, it's survival of the fittest for robots. And it's where organic tissue reveals certain advantages. Heart cells, for example, have the ability to contract and relax on their own Those natural motions become a xenobot's energy source.

實際上，這是適者生存的機器人。這就是有機組織的優(yōu)勢所在。例如，心臟細胞有收縮和放松的能力，這些自然運動成為xenobot的能量來源。

And in case you're fretting about a possible xenobot revolution, they also have an expiration date. The models function for between seven and 10 days ?— long enough to complete their task ?— before self-termination.

如果你擔心可能會有一場xenobot革命，它們也有一個截止日期。在自我終止之前，這些模型可以工作7到10天——足夠完成它們的任務。

Besides, added co-author Sam Kriegman, "If you watch the video, it's hard to fear that these things are taking over any time soon."

此外，合著者山姆·克里格曼補充道，“如果你看了這段視頻，你很難擔心這些東西會很快占據(jù)你的生活。”

Indeed, they are tiny and somewhat squishy., But the xenobots could take on some truly Herculean tasks in the future. Researchers suggest they may be deployed to clean microplastics from oceans and other remote places. Or they could detect toxins and gobble them up safely. Given their size, they may also be able to deliver drugs to a body or even scrape plaque from arterial walls.

事實上，它們很小，而且有點黏糊糊的。但在未來，這些異種機器人可能會承擔一些真正艱巨的任務。研究人員認為，它們可能被用于清潔海洋和其他偏遠地區(qū)的塑料微粒?；蛘咚鼈兛梢詸z測出毒素并安全的吞食掉?？紤]到它們的大小，它們也可以將藥物輸送到身體，甚至從動脈壁上刮下斑塊。

Another potential use? If designed with blood vessels, nervous systems and sensory cells, xenobots could become basic eyes.

另一個潛在的應用?如果用血管、神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)和感覺細胞來設計，異種機器人可以成為基本的眼睛。

On the left, the anatomical blueprint for a computer-designed organism. On the right, the living organism, built entirely from frog skin (green) and heart muscle (red) cells. The background displays traces carved by a swarm of these new-to-nature organisms as they move through a field of particulate matter. (Photo: Sam Kriegman/University of Vermont)

Despite their promise, it's hard to dismiss the ethical implications of grafting living cells to machines. Is there a point where "living, programmable organisms" become self-aware? And if so, how would we know?

盡管他們已經(jīng)承諾了，很難否認移植活細胞到機器上的倫理影響。“活的、可編程的有機體”是否會有自我意識?如果是，我們怎么知道?

"There are interesting ethical questions about the moral status of these xenobots," Thomas Douglas of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, tells The Guardian. "I think they'd acquire moral significance only if they included neural tissue that enabled some kind of mental life, such as the ability to experience pain.

牛津上廣實用倫理中心的托馬斯·道格拉斯在接受《衛(wèi)報》采訪時表示:“關于這些外星機器人的道德地位，存在一些有趣的倫理問題。”“我認為，只有將神經(jīng)組織納入其中，才能賦予它們某種精神生活的意義，比如體驗疼痛的能力。”

"But some are more liberal about moral status. They think that all living creatures have interests that should be given some moral consideration. For these people, difficult questions could arise about whether these xenobots should be classified as living creatures or machines."

但有些人在道德地位上更開明。他們認為所有的生物都有利益，應該給予一些道德上的考慮。對這些人來說，可能會出現(xiàn)一些難題，比如這些異種機器人應該歸類為生物還是機器。”