In a major breakthrough, scientists used human cells and created tiny living robots which are able to move around in a lab dish and are likely to heal damaged tissue and wounds someday, as per a new study. 
 
A team, comprising students from Harvard University’s Wyss Institute and Tufts University, have called these creations anthrobots. The research was the follow-up of similar work done by the same scientists. These scientists had earlier made the first living robots, called xenobots, using stem cells sourced from African clawed frog embryos. 
 
“Some people thought that the features of the xenobots relied a lot on the fact that they are embryonic and amphibian,” study author Michael Levin, Vannevar Bush professor of biology at Tufts’ School of Arts &amp; Sciences said, as reported by CNN. 
 
“I don’t think this has anything to do with being an embryo. This has nothing to do with being a frog. I think this is a much more general property of living things. We don’t realize all the competencies that our own body cells have,” he added.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/technology-devouring-humans-robot-crushes-man-to-death-in-south-korea-656647">Technology devouring humans? Robot crushes man to death in South Korea</a>

“While alive, the anthrobots were not full-fledged organisms because they didn’t have a full life cycle. It reminds us that these harsh binary categories that we’ve operated with: Is that a robot, is that an animal, is that a machine? These kinds of things don’t serve us very well. We need to get beyond that,” Levin said. 
 
The research was published in the journal Advanced Science on Thursday (Nov 30).

<h2>How were these living robots made?</h2>

Adult human cells, which were taken from the windpipe or trachea of anonymous donors who were from different sexes and ages, were used by the scientists. 
 
This type of cell was selected by the researchers because they are comparatively easy to access due to the work done on COVID-19 and lung disease and, because of a feature which as per scientists will make cells capable of motion, as per study coauthor Gizem Gumuskaya, who is a doctoral student at Tufts.

Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas: Man crushed to death by robot in South Korea

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-man-crushed-to-death-by-robot-in-south-korea-657432/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

“Nothing happened on day one, day two, day four or five, but as biology usually does, around day seven, there was a rapid transition. It was like a blossoming flower. By day seven, the cilia had flipped and were on the outside,” Gumuskaya said. 
 
“In our method, each anthrobot grows from a single cell,” she said. 
 
“It’s this self-assembly that makes them unique. Biological robots have been made by other scientists, but they were constructed by hand by making a mould and seeding cells to live on top of it,” said Levin.

(With inputs from agencies)

In a major breakthrough, scientists used human cells and created tiny living robots which are able to move around in a lab dish and are likely to heal damaged tissue and wounds someday, as per a new study.

In a major breakthrough, scientists used human cells and created tiny living robots which are able to move around in a lab dish and are likely to heal damaged tissue and wounds someday, as per a new study. A team, comprising students from Harvard University’s Wyss Institute and Tufts University, have called these creations anthrobots. The research was the follow-up of similar work done by the same scientists. These scientists had earlier made the first living robots, called xenobots, using stem cells sourced from African clawed frog embryos. “Some people thought that the features of the xenobots relied a lot on the fact that they are embryonic and amphibian,” study author Michael Levin, Vannevar Bush professor of biology at Tufts’ School of Arts & Sciences said, as reported by CNN. “I don’t think this has anything to do with being an embryo. This has nothing to do with being a frog. I think this is a much more general property of living things. We don’t realize all the competencies that our own body cells have,” he added. Also read: Technology devouring humans? Robot crushes man to death in South Korea “While alive, the anthrobots were not full-fledged organisms because they didn’t have a full life cycle. It reminds us that these harsh binary categories that we’ve operated with: Is that a robot, is that an animal, is that a machine? These kinds of things don’t serve us very well. We need to get beyond that,” Levin said. The research was published in the journal Advanced Science on Thursday (Nov 30). How were these living robots made? Adult human cells, which were taken from the windpipe or trachea of anonymous donors who were from different sexes and ages, were used by the scientists. This type of cell was selected by the researchers because they are comparatively easy to access due to the work done on COVID-19 and lung disease and, because of a feature which as per scientists will make cells capable of motion, as per study coauthor Gizem Gumuskaya, who is a doctoral student at Tufts. Watch: Gravitas: Man crushed to death by robot in South Korea “Nothing happened on day one, day two, day four or five, but as biology usually does, around day seven, there was a rapid transition. It was like a blossoming flower. By day seven, the cilia had flipped and were on the outside,” Gumuskaya said. “In our method, each anthrobot grows from a single cell,” she said. “It’s this self-assembly that makes them unique. Biological robots have been made by other scientists, but they were constructed by hand by making a mould and seeding cells to live on top of it,” said Levin. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists create tiny living robots from human cells which may heal wounds

As the sun set below the ridgelines of the Appalachian Mountains on Saturday evening, revelers donned fantastical papier-mâché masks — a bright red creature with striped horns, a boar with a floral headdress, an autumn leaf — and marched with gusto in an outdoor masquerade ball.

The celebration included Swiss folk songs, tiny Swiss flags and paper lanterns. It culminated in a parade through the streets of the village, led by an effigy of Old Man Winter, which was then thrown atop a raging bonfire, in an effort to hasten the coming of spring.

Helvetia, a community of just 85 people, has hosted Fasnacht for more than half a century. The coronavirus pandemic forced its cancellation last year — the first since 1967 — making this year’s celebration all the more sweet.

Doug Davis, a longtime festival organizer and public-school teacher, seemed buoyed by the festival’s return. “COVID killed the community spirit,” he said. “But here we are, recovering.”

Helvetia, like Fasnacht itself, has Swiss roots. The village was settled in the 19th century by Swiss and German immigrants, and the buildings feature traditional Swiss architecture. Hütte, a traditional Swiss restaurant, serves bratwurst, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and potatoes. The Beekeeper Inn is booked months in advance for Fasnacht weekend. The Helvetia General Store is also home to a Fasnacht mask museum.

In many parts of Switzerland, carnival — or Fasnacht — season is held in February and March. In Helvetia, it is the weekend before Fat Tuesday and draws enough visitors to swell the number of people in the town to more than triple its population.

While many revelers Saturday said they were relieved to see the tradition return, some described a sense of urgency in their desire to experience what may be West Virginia’s most unusual community celebration. Appalachia, said Joe Holmes, an attendee from Davis, West Virginia, 76 miles away, is “homogenizing like everything else. These little pockets of uniqueness are just drying up. It’s an inevitable result of technology and progress.”

This year’s events were moved outdoors as a COVID-19 precaution. Attendees milled about the banks of the upper Trout Run stream, warming themselves around campfires and enjoying rosettes and Fasnacht doughnuts, traditional Swiss sweets. Visitors lined up to peek inside a log cabin decorated with artifacts from some of Helvetia’s original settlers.

And Saturday evening, as the last bits of Old Man Winter were consumed by flames, festivalgoers joined in an a cappella rendition of the beloved John Denver anthem “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

As the sun set below the ridgelines of the Appalachian Mountains on Saturday evening, revelers donned fantastical papier-mâché masks — a bright red creature with striped horns, a boar with a floral headdress, an autumn leaf — and marched with gusto in an outdoor masquerade ball.

As the sun set below the ridgelines of the Appalachian Mountains on Saturday evening, revelers donned fantastical papier-mâché masks — a bright red creature with striped horns, a boar with a floral headdress, an autumn leaf — and marched with gusto in an outdoor masquerade ball. The celebration included Swiss folk songs, tiny Swiss flags and paper lanterns. It culminated in a parade through the streets of the village, led by an effigy of Old Man Winter, which was then thrown atop a raging bonfire, in an effort to hasten the coming of spring. Helvetia, a community of just 85 people, has hosted Fasnacht for more than half a century. The coronavirus pandemic forced its cancellation last year — the first since 1967 — making this year’s celebration all the more sweet. Doug Davis, a longtime festival organizer and public-school teacher, seemed buoyed by the festival’s return. “COVID killed the community spirit,” he said. “But here we are, recovering.” Helvetia, like Fasnacht itself, has Swiss roots. The village was settled in the 19th century by Swiss and German immigrants, and the buildings feature traditional Swiss architecture. Hütte, a traditional Swiss restaurant, serves bratwurst, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and potatoes. The Beekeeper Inn is booked months in advance for Fasnacht weekend. The Helvetia General Store is also home to a Fasnacht mask museum. In many parts of Switzerland, carnival — or Fasnacht — season is held in February and March. In Helvetia, it is the weekend before Fat Tuesday and draws enough visitors to swell the number of people in the town to more than triple its population. While many revelers Saturday said they were relieved to see the tradition return, some described a sense of urgency in their desire to experience what may be West Virginia’s most unusual community celebration. Appalachia, said Joe Holmes, an attendee from Davis, West Virginia, 76 miles away, is “homogenizing like everything else. These little pockets of uniqueness are just drying up. It’s an inevitable result of technology and progress.” This year’s events were moved outdoors as a COVID-19 precaution. Attendees milled about the banks of the upper Trout Run stream, warming themselves around campfires and enjoying rosettes and Fasnacht doughnuts, traditional Swiss sweets. Visitors lined up to peek inside a log cabin decorated with artifacts from some of Helvetia’s original settlers. And Saturday evening, as the last bits of Old Man Winter were consumed by flames, festivalgoers joined in an a cappella rendition of the beloved John Denver anthem “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

In a tiny Appalachian village, a beloved festival returns

In a bid to tackle homelessness in Los Angeles, Authorities have come up with tiny villages. They also offer mental health support for them.

US: Los Angeles creates tiny villages for the homeless

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