To persist, life must reproduce. Scientists at the University of Vermont, Tufts University, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have discovered an entirely new form of biological reproduction and applied their discovery to create the first-ever, self-replicating (自我复制的) living robots.
Named Xenobots after the African clawed frog from which scientists take their stem cells, the machines are less than 0.04 inches wide—small enough to travel inside human bodies. They can walk and swim, survive for weeks without food, and work together in groups. They even have regenerative capabilities; when the scientists sliced into one robot, it healed by itself and kept moving.
The Xenobots could potentially be used toward a host of tasks. Xenobots could be used to clean up radioactive waste and collect microplastics in the oceans. Some Xepobots had holes in their center, which could potentially be used to transport drugs or medicines. “Traditional robots degrade (降解) over time and can produce harmful ecological and health side effects,” researchers said in the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As biological machines, Xenobots are more environmentally friendly and safer for human health. Aside from these immediate practical tasks, Xenobots could also help researchers to learn more about cell biology—opening the doors to future advancement in human health and longevity.
While the prospect of self-replicating biotechnology could spark concern, the researchers said that the living machines were entirely contained in a lab and easily destroyed, as they are biodegradable and regulated by experts. “There are many things that are possible if we take advantage of this kind of plasticity (可塑性) and ability of cells to solve problems,” said Joshua Bongard, one of the lead researchers at the University of Vermont.
1. What can we learn about Xenobots from Paragraph 3?| A．They can be widely applied to curing diseases. |
| B．They can serve well the research on human health. |
| C．They are specially designed to collect radioactive waste. |
| D．They are harmless to the environment by degrading plastics. |
| A．Positive. | B．Indifferent. | C．Doubtful. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．A new application of a machine in medicine. |
| B．The latest trend of developing biotechnology. |
| C．The invention of the first self-reproduction robots. |
| D．An experiment on cells from African clawed frogs. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Health. | C．Sports | D．Science. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】It will soon be possible to reduce common indoor air pollutants using just a curtain. A mineral- based surface treatment enabled this new curtain from IKEA, a Swedish furniture company, to break down air pollutants when it comes in contact with light. Air pollution is a global issue. Around 90% of people worldwide breathe polluted air, causing eight million deaths per year.
IKEA hopes to reduce this number by producing the GUNRID air-purifying (净化) curtain. Besides enabling people to breathe better air at home, GUNRID will increase people' s awareness of indoor air pollution, inspiring behavioral changes that contribute to a world of clean air.
GUN RID is the first product to use the technology, but the development will give us opportunities for future applications on other textile (纺织品). It's important to work on products that solve actual problems and are relevant to people. Textile are used across homes and by enabling a curtain to purify the air, we are creating an affordable and space-saving air purifying solution that also makes the home more beautiful. The GUNRID curtain will reportedly be made available to the public next year.
For many years, IKEA has been reducing air pollution from its own operations by gradually stopping using dangerous chemicals and reducing air emissions (排放) . Last year, idea started a campaign, aiming to turn rice straw-rice harvesting remains that are traditionally burned and contributes heavily to air pollution-into a new renewable material source for IKEA products. IKEA has also committed to becoming climate positive by 2030, reducing our overall climate footprint by 70% on average per product, compared to 2016. Furthermore, the company has recently been praised for making their products either made from renewable or recycled materials.
There is no single solution to air pollution, but we work long term for positive change to enable people to live healthier and more sustainable lives.
1. What can we infer from the text?| A．Indoor pollutants are a major source of air pollution. |
| B．The new technology is welcomed across the world. |
| C．The new curtain has already been on the market. |
| D．IKEA is devoted to environmental protection. |
| A．purify the indoor air | B．block polluted air out |
| C．beautify the home | D．reduce air emissions |
| A．Concerned. | B．Pessimistic. |
| C．Hopeful. | D．Humorous. |
【推荐2】Scientists say they have developed a system that uses machine learning to predict when and where lightning will strike. Researchers report the system is able to predict lightning strikes up to 30 minutes before they happen within a 30-kilometer area. Lightning is a strong burst of electricity in the atmosphere. Since it carries an extremely powerful electrical charge, it can cause very deadly results. European researchers have estimated that between 6,000 and 24,000 people are killed by lightning worldwide each year. For this reason, climate scientists have long sought to develop methods to predict lightning.
The system tested in the experiments uses a combination of data from weather stations and machine learning methods. The researchers developed a prediction model that was trained to recognize weather conditions that were likely to cause lightning.
The model was created with data collected over a 12-year period from 12 Swiss weather stations in cities and mountain areas. The data, related to four main surface conditions: air pressure, air temperature, relative humidity (湿度) and wind speed, was placed into a unique machine learning algorithm (算法), which compared it to records of lightning strikes. Researchers say the algorithm was then able to learn the conditions under which lightning happens.
The researchers test-ran the system several times. They found that the system made predictions that proved correct almost 80 percent of the time. “It can now be used anywhere,” the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology said in a statement.
The researchers plan to keep developing the technology in partnership with a European effort that aims to create a lightning protection program. The effort is called the European Laser Lightning Rod project. Scientists working on the project are experimenting with a laser technology that could someday control lightning activity, transferring lightning charges from clouds to the ground. They hope that such technology can one day be used as protection against lightning strikes. Possible uses could be at stations, airports or places where large crowds gather.
1. Why was the system developed?| A．To keep track of lightning deaths. |
| B．To meet people’s curiosity about lightning. |
| C．To protect people from lightning strikes. |
| D．To take advantage of the energy of lightning. |
| A．It collects data samples from around the world. |
| B．It involves the use of a machine learning algorithm. |
| C．It was test-run several times before being put into use. |
| D．Its success owes greatly to a European effort. |
| A．Prevent the formation of lightning. | B．Get lightning striking under control. |
| C．Inspire the study of a laser technology. | D．Raise the accuracy of lightning prediction. |
| A．A system of Controlling Lightning | B．A Theory of Employing Lightning |
| C．A Method of Forecasting Lightning | D．A Model of Creating Lightning |
【推荐3】Reading people’s minds seems to be a superpower that only exists in movies. But scientists have now made it possible to translate people’s brain waves!
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco developed a new device. It can turn brain waves into words on a screen in front of the user. In the study, they tested it with a paralyzed (瘫痪的) man. “To our knowledge, this is the first successful demonstration (演示) of direct decoding (解码) of full words from the brain of someone who is paralyzed and cannot speak,” said Edward Chang, the senior author of the study. Each year, thousands of people lose the ability to speak due to accidents or diseases. With up to 93 percent accuracy, the new device shows “strong promise” to let these people fully communicate in the future.
One problem with such mind-reading machines, however, is that they have to put electrodes (电极) into people’s brains. It’s inconvenient and has health risks. But scientists from the University of Texas, US, have taken steps to change this. They tried to translate people’s thoughts without even touching their heads, reported Live Science.
The new brain scanning technique is called FMRI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging. It’s a safer way of “reading” brain activity. Active brain cells have more oxygen. By tracking this, scientists can translate brain activity.
The team asked participants to listen to 16 hours of radio shows while scanning their brains. Then they used a computer algorithm (算法) to create a story based on the FMRI recording. It matched the radio shows pretty well.
In other tests, the algorithm could basically explain the story of a silent movie that the participants watched. It could even retell a story that the participants imagined in their heads. Although it’s not a word-for-word translation, the technique provides many possibilities.
1. Why did the researchers at the University of California think their test is a success?| A．They could cure the patient. | B．They could make the patient speak again. |
| C．They could create a story. | D．They could read the patient’s mind. |
| A．Inconvenience. | B．Mind-reading. | C．Algorithm. | D．Accuracy. |
| A．Let the patients listen to a radio. | B．Made the patient recall a movie. |
| C．Used an algorithm to explain the minds. | D．Told the patient’s experience. |
| A．A Film About Reading Minds | B．Reading Minds in Medical Science |
| C．Developing A New Minds-Reading Way | D．Saving One’s Life by Using a New Machine |
【推荐1】It’s not easy being a teenager —— nor is it easy being the parent of a teenager. You can make your child feel angry, hurt or misunderstood by what you say without realizing it yourself. It is important to give your child the space he needs to grow while gently letting him know that you’ll still be there for him when he needs you.
Expect a lot from your child, just not everything. Except for health and safety problems, such as drug use or careless driving, consider everything else open to discussion. If your child is unwilling to discuss something, don’t insist he tell you what’s on his mind. The more you insist, the more likely that he’ll clam up. Instead，let him attempt to solve things by himself. At the same time，remind him that you’re always there for him if he should seek advice or help. Show respect for your teenager’s privacy. Never read his mail or listen in on personal conversations.
Teach your teenager that the family phone is for the whole family. If your child talks on the family’s telephone for too long, tell him he can talk for l5 minutes, but then he must stay off the phone for at least all equal period of time. This not only frees up the line so that other family members can make and receive calls, but teaches your teenager moderation(节制).Or if you are open to the idea, allow your teenager his own phone that he pays for with his own pocket money or a part-time job.
1. The main purpose of the text is to tell parents ________ .| A．how to get along with a teenager | B．how to help a teenager grow up |
| C．how to understand a teenager | D．how to respect a teenager |
| A．refuse to talk | B．show respect |
| C．become excited | D．seek help |
| A．to pay for his own telephone | B．to use the phone in a sensible way |
| C．to share the phone with friends | D．to answer the phone quickly |
| A．Not allow him to learn driving or take drugs. |
| B．Let him have his own telephone. |
| C．Give him advice only when necessary. |
| D．Not talk about personal things with him. |
【推荐2】Many robots track objects by “sight’’ as they work with them, but optical (光学的) sensors can’t take in an item’s entire shape when it’s in the dark or partially blocked from view. Now a new low-cost technique lets a robotic hand “feel” an unfamiliar object’s form and skillfully handle it based on this information alone.
University of California, San Diego, roboticist Xiaolong Wang and his team wanted to find out whether complex actions could be achieved in robotics using only simple touch data.
The researchers attached 16 contact sensors, each costing about $12, to the palm and fingers of a four-fingered robot hand. These sensors simply indicate if an object is touching the hand or not. “While one sensor doesn’t catch much, a lot of them can help you capture different aspects of the object,” Wang says. In this case, the robot’s task was to rotate (旋转) items placed in its palm.
They first ran simulations (模拟) to collect enough touch data as a virtual robot hand practiced rotating objects, including balls and other irregular objects. Using information from each sensor, the team built a computer model that determines an object’s position at every step of the handling process and moves the fingers to rotate it smoothly and stably.
Next they transferred this capability to operate a real robot hand, which successfully control previously unfamiliar objects such as apples, tomatoes, soup cans and rubber ducks. Transferring the computer model to the real world was relatively easy because the sensor data were so simple. However, New York University’s Lerrel Pinto, who studies robots’ interactions, wonders whether the system would fail at more complicated tasks.
So in future work, Wang’s group aims to tackle more complex movements as well as to add sensors in places such as the sides of the fingers. “This means that there will be more accurate information from touching that allows reconstructing the object shape,” Wang says. The researchers will also try adding vision to complement touch data for handling complicated shape.
1. What was the intention of the research conducted by Xiaolong Wang’s group?| A．To develop a robot with advanced optical sensors. |
| B．To create a robotic hand to grasp familiar objects. |
| C．To explore the use of touch data in complex robotic actions. |
| D．To investigate the impact of lighting on robotic recognition. |
| A．The working principle of robot hands in Wang’s research. |
| B．The type of contact sensors attached to the robot hand. |
| C．The way that robot hands capture different objects. |
| D．The function of robot hands in Wang’s research. |
| A．They used real-world objects. |
| B．They used complex optical sensors. |
| C．They relied on vision-based technology. |
| D．They conducted simulations with the robot hand. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Positive | C．Unclear | D．Dismissive |
【推荐3】◆ Welwitschia mirabilis
Title: the world’s most resistant plant
It’s not pretty to look at, but welwitschia mirabilis is unique. It consists of only two leaves and a strong stem with roots. Two leaves continue to grow and the stem thickens and can grow to be almost 2 meters high and 8 meters wide. Its lifespan is 400 to 1,500 years. It can survive up to five years with no rain. The plant is said to be very tasty either raw or baked in hot ashes.
◆ Dionaea muscipula
Title: the Venus Fly Trap
Dionaea muscipula is the most famous carnivorous(肉食性的) plant due to the active and efficient nature of its unique trap. It may be famous, but it’s also threatened. It produces a short leaf that forms two sides of a trap. Each side contains some sensitive hairs. When it is touched two to three times, the trap will shut in less than a second, fast enough to catch flies and other insects. The leaf, once closed, produces some enzymes(酶) that slowly dissolve the insects and supply the plant with food.
◆ Rafflesia arnoldii
Title: the world’s largest flower
Rafflesia arnoldii, the largest flower in the world, is an exotic and rare plant. The flower is 3 feet across and weighs 15-24 pounds. However, you wouldn’t want to grow it in your garden. In a rainforest-type environment, it gives off a most unpleasant smell, which is somewhat like rotten meat. This is why it is often called the Corpse Plant by some natives of Indonesia where it comes. Its flowers only last for three days to a week.
◆ Euphorbia obese
Title: the Baseball Plant
Euphorbia obese is known as the Baseball Plant. Over-harvesting by plant collectors for its interesting and curious appearance has severely reduced the wild population. However, it has become very common now. By growing euphorbia obese in large numbers, many gardens have been working to ensure that the plants being traded and sold among plant collectors are not wild plants.
1. From the passage, we know that __________.| A．welwitschia mirabilis is very beautiful |
| B．dionaea muscipula is famous for its trap |
| C．rafflesia arnoldii feels like rotten meat |
| D．euphorbia obese can be used as baseball |
| A．shuts its trap two or three times in one second. |
| B．gives off a special smell to attract flies and insects |
| C．smells bad in a hot and wet environment |
| D．has a big flower, a strong stem and two leaves |
| A．it looks strange |
| B．it tastes delicious |
| C．it can be planted in the garden |
| D．it is worth a big fortune |
