Tiny Matters [BONUS] Xenobots and rethinking 'junk DNA': Tiny Show and Tell Us #12
Dec 4, 2024
Explore the fascinating world of xenobots, living robots crafted from frog cells and designed by supercomputers. Discover their capabilities like self-healing and movement, and the potential applications in pollution cleanup and tissue engineering. Transitioning to junk DNA, delve into its complexities, challenging the notion of what constitutes 'junk' and the roles of various noncoding DNA elements. Engage with the ethical questions surrounding life definitions as the hosts unravel the mysteries of genetics and synthetic biology.
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Living Robots Built From Frog Cells
- Xenobots are millimeter-scale living machines built from frog stem cells and designed by a supercomputer.
- Skin cells provide structure while heart-muscle cells drive movement and coordination.
Xenobots Teach Cell Coordination
- Researchers see xenobots as tools to study how cells coordinate for locomotion and patterning.
- Potential applications include pollution cleanup and growing replacement tissues, though it's very early stage.
Extend Xenobot Lifespan With Nutrient Media
- Expect xenobots to run on internal embryonic energy stores like fats and proteins for about a week.
- Keep them in nutrient-rich serum to extend their survival for months during experiments.