What's happening? 

Imagine Lego bricks that are made out of living cells. You could put them together, however you wanted, and make them carry out whatever task you want.

That is pretty much what scientists in the USA have achieved. They have invented a whole new species, the xenobot.

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The xenobots are so small they can carry out tasks inside a human body without causing any damage.

The scientists have also made discoveries that they did not expect. When you cut a xenobot in half, it grows back together again.

It is very difficult to say if the xenobots are alive or if they are machines. They are built entirely from organic matter, not from wires and steel. But they cannot eat or grow.

The shape they take and the functions they carry out are decided by a machine, but they are still limited by the boundaries of biology.

Is it dangerous to create living robots?

Some say

No! A xenobot is no stranger than a mule or a genetically modified crop. Existing parts of nature are simply being recombined. If it can help us make breakthroughs in healthcare, then we should not hold back just because it 'feels' wrong. Novelty is always frightening. But it is also something to marvel at and enjoy.

Others think

Yes! Using computers to design new life forms might create something unstoppable. Unless we put limits on what scientists can do, the worst is always possible. And while today we want to use xenobots to fight diseases, tomorrow they could be turned into weapons or worse.