Final answer:
Xenobots are clusters of stem cells capable of a new form of biological reproduction, assembling new xenobots from loose stem cells. This discovery spans across robotics and cloning in biology, with potential applications in medical treatments and advances in biotechnology.
Step-by-step explanation:
The recent news about CNN's World's First Living Robots highlights the creation of xenobots, which are clusters of stem cells. These xenobots have demonstrated a new form of biological reproduction that is not seen in nature. They can move around and can instinctively assemble loose stem cells to form new xenobots. This discovery has important implications in the fields of robotics and cloning, potentially offering innovative approaches to medical treatments and advances in biotechnology such as microscopic robots powered by bacteria for medical applications.
Cloning typically refers to the process of creating genetically identical copies of an organism. This can happen naturally in unicellular organisms through processes like binary fission or can be artificially induced in a laboratory setting, as seen with the famous cloned sheep, Dolly.
Now, the xenobots represent a novel form of artificial replication that could open up new possibilities in robotics and medicine. These biological machines are even compared to cellular cloning where multiplicity is created asexually, such as with embryonic stem cells that have the potential to turn into various types of cells.