Robot Makes Scientific Discovery (Mostly) On Its Own

Robot Makes Scientific Discovery (Mostly) On Its Own 250

Posted by timothy on Thursday April 02, 2009 @11:40PM from the if-you-consider-that-on-its-own dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "A science-savvy robot called Adam has successfully developed and tested its first scientific hypothesis, discovering that certain genes in baker's yeast code for specific enzymes which encourage biochemical reactions in yeast, then ran an experiment with its lab hardware to test its predictions, and analyzed the results, all without human intervention. Adam was equipped with a database on genes that are known to be present in bacteria, mice and people, so it knew roughly where it should search in the genetic material for the lysine gene in baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ross King, a computer scientist and biologist at Aberystwyth University, first created a computer that could generate hypotheses and perform experiments five years ago. 'This is one of the first systems to get [artificial intelligence] to try and control laboratory automation,' King says. '[Current robots] tend to do one thing or a sequence of things. The complexity of Adam is that it has cycles.' Adam has cost roughly $1 million to develop and the software that drives Adam's thought process sits on three computers, allowing Adam to investigate a thousand experiments a day and still keep track of all the results better than humans can. King's group has also created another robot scientist called Eve dedicated to screening chemical compounds for new pharmaceutical drugs that could combat diseases such as malaria.

Robot Makes Scientific Discovery (Mostly) On Its Own

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Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

by Toonol ( 1057698 ) writes: on Thursday April 02, 2009 @11:42PM (#27440693)

If I ever do cutting edge research on robot AI, please punch me if I try to name my new robots "Adam" or "Eve".

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Thursday April 02, 2009 @11:44PM (#27440703)

I'd shoot you if you named it Skynet.

Call me when (Score:5, Funny)

by Culture20 ( 968837 ) writes: on Thursday April 02, 2009 @11:46PM (#27440713)

... it starts experimenting with inter-dimensional portal guns.

Time for... (Score:3, Funny)

by oldhack ( 1037484 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @12:06AM (#27440823)

the union of scientists. You thought Teamsters were nasty? You ain't seen jack squat. WE SPLICE GENES!!! WE SPLIT ATOMS!!! WE (probably) MAKE BLACKHOLES!!!
Ross King, gutless traitor, you and your tin cans, your names will live in infamy.

But... (Score:5, Funny)

by tsotha ( 720379 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @12:07AM (#27440827)

Oh, sure, it's neat-o. But you could probably afford hundreds of grad students to do the work for the same price.

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

by fuzzyfuzzyfungus ( 1223518 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @12:08AM (#27440833) Journal

Don't worry, "Caine" is programmed to develop innovative interpersonal strategies autonomously. Nothing to worry about.

Re:Robot discovers Humans "unnecessary"... (Score:4, Funny)

by anagama ( 611277 ) writes: <obamaisaneocon@nothingchanged.org> on Friday April 03, 2009 @12:10AM (#27440849) Homepage

No kidding. Let's get Ron Moore to pilot it and himself into the sun.

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

by Anthony_Cargile ( 1336739 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @12:17AM (#27440887) Homepage

I'd shoot you if you named it Skynet.
I was waiting for that. Second comment from the top, we've achieved a new level of predictability.

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

by RuBLed ( 995686 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @12:21AM (#27440921)

The third robot would be aptly named Bob

Re:But... (Score:4, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @12:22AM (#27440927)

That's nothing, you could probably get some hobos to do the work for free and save some money by having them eat the hazardous biological waste rather than disposing of it.

Re:But... (Score:5, Funny)

by Profane MuthaFucka ( 574406 ) writes: <busheatskok@gmail.com> on Friday April 03, 2009 @12:23AM (#27440931) Homepage Journal

Yes, but there are no ethical rules against watching your two lab robots fuck each other.

Gender bender (Score:5, Funny)

by Mr_Icon ( 124425 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @12:25AM (#27440941) Homepage

The complexity of Adam is that it has cycles.
No, no, no -- the complexity of *Eve* is that it has cycles.

Bender would say... (Score:3, Funny)

by Eil ( 82413 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @12:44AM (#27441021) Homepage Journal

Well, we're boned.

Re:Robot discovers Humans "unnecessary"... (Score:3, Funny)

by tnk1 ( 899206 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @01:02AM (#27441137)

What if it concludes that humans are genetically inefficient and decides to replace them with a specie designed by itself?
Humans replaced by coins? Now that is a dystopian future that even Philip K. Dick never considered.
May God have mercy on us.

Re:But... (Score:2, Funny)

by Arthur Grumbine ( 1086397 ) * writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @01:06AM (#27441153) Journal

Will we one day see a scientific institution operated solely on robots?
Depends on how heavy the institution is, and how strong the robots are, of course...

The first step to a singularity? (Score:4, Funny)

by moderatorrater ( 1095745 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @01:06AM (#27441157)

Isn't the first requirement for a singularity be that it's able to improve itself, thus leading to an accelerating growth that ends in the subjugation of humanity? If so, wouldn't it be prudent to withhold knowledge of the scientific method as long as possible?

Re:Robot discovers Humans "unnecessary"... (Score:5, Funny)

by andy.ruddock ( 821066 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @01:19AM (#27441227) Homepage

We could always build them with OFF switches as well.

Re:But... (Score:5, Funny)

by Logic Worshipper ( 1518487 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @01:21AM (#27441237)

If you're a Windows system admin, you get paid to watch computers fuck eachother.

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

by clarkkent09 ( 1104833 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @01:25AM (#27441265)

I hope they don't put it to a vote or it will be called Colbert

Re:But... (Score:2, Funny)

by derGoldstein ( 1494129 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @01:38AM (#27441317) Homepage

You're also promoting unsafe sex, what with the viruses and all...

No apples... (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @01:40AM (#27441335)

Plus they are strictly forbidden to touch genes of apples...
Nothing to worry..

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @01:47AM (#27441393)

What? What about Steve, Adam's husband?

Re:You should see its Mitochondrial Eve test (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @01:50AM (#27441411)

> Robots named Adam and Eve?
I thought they were called Baltar and Caprica 6.

Lysine? (Score:5, Funny)

by Anenome ( 1250374 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @02:06AM (#27441473)

So, our future AI overlords begin their research with the Lysine Contingency? Should we be worried?

so after all this grad school... (Score:2, Funny)

by onionlee ( 836083 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @02:09AM (#27441487)

damn! i got this phd for nothing now! D:

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:1, Funny)

by memeplex ( 910698 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @02:57AM (#27441703)

Joshua, what are you doing?

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

by MadKeithV ( 102058 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @03:08AM (#27441749)

I'd shoot you if you named it Skynet.
I was waiting for that. Second comment from the top, we've achieved a new level of predictability.
Okay, good. That means my /. AI is nearing perfection. I think I'll call it KDawson.

Re:Throwing darts (Score:2, Funny)

by kkrajewski ( 1459331 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @04:07AM (#27442039) Journal

I for one welcome our infinite Shakespearian typewriter-monkey overlords.

Re:Lysine? (Score:3, Funny)

by juhaz ( 110830 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @04:48AM (#27442231) Homepage

So, our future AI overlords begin their research with the Lysine Contingency? Should we be worried?
Of course we should. Next thing you know, they'll be cloning dinosaur shock troops.

Re:Call me when (Score:4, Funny)

by nospam007 ( 722110 ) * writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @04:55AM (#27442259)

Call me when it begins faking results to get published.

Car analogies (Score:2, Funny)

by Ed Avis ( 5917 ) writes: <ed@membled.com> on Friday April 03, 2009 @05:21AM (#27442375) Homepage

The BBC news article [bbc.co.uk] about this breaks new ground by including not one, but two car-based analogies, both of which fail to reach the (admittedly high) benchmark of bad analogies set here on Slashdot.
The robot was able to work out the role of the genes by observing yeast cells as they grew. It used existing information about the function of known genes to make predictions about the role an unknown gene might play in the cell's growth. It then tested this by looking at a strain of yeast from which that gene had been removed. "It's like a car," Professor King said. "If you remove one component from the engine, then drive the car to see how it performs, you can find out what that particular component does."

and later,
"If you spent all of the money we've spent on Adam on employing human biologists, Adam probably wouldn't turn out to be the cost-effective option," he said. "But that was the case with the first car. Initially, the investment in the technology wasn't as cost-effective as sticking with horses."

Re:The first step to a singularity? (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @05:23AM (#27442379)

Why? So it can feel bad after it's killed us all?

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:2, Funny)

by smallfries ( 601545 ) writes: on Friday April 03, 2009 @06:14AM (#27442617) Homepage

Ah, so you're applying for a grant to research Artificial Stupidity?

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Robot Makes Scientific Discovery (Mostly) On Its Own 250

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Robot Makes Scientific Discovery (Mostly) On Its Own

Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

Call me when (Score:5, Funny)

Time for... (Score:3, Funny)

But... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Robot discovers Humans "unnecessary"... (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:But... (Score:4, Funny)

Re:But... (Score:5, Funny)

Gender bender (Score:5, Funny)

Bender would say... (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Robot discovers Humans "unnecessary"... (Score:3, Funny)

Re:But... (Score:2, Funny)

The first step to a singularity? (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Robot discovers Humans "unnecessary"... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:But... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:But... (Score:2, Funny)

No apples... (Score:1, Funny)

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:1, Funny)

Re:You should see its Mitochondrial Eve test (Score:1, Funny)

Lysine? (Score:5, Funny)

so after all this grad school... (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:1, Funny)

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Throwing darts (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Lysine? (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Call me when (Score:4, Funny)

Car analogies (Score:2, Funny)

Re:The first step to a singularity? (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Please, fellow slashdotters... (Score:2, Funny)

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