Title:
Robot chemist offers insight into the origins of life
By:
University of Glasgow
Published:
Phys.org, 10 June 2021
From the article:
A team of chemists from the University of Glasgow developed the robot, which uses a machine-learning algorithm to make decisions about which chemicals from a selection of 18 to combine in a reactor, and how to set conditions under which the reaction occurs. The robot is capable of running the experiments on its own, with minimal human supervision.
The process aims to provide new insight into how Earth's complex organic life developed from its simple, non-living chemical origins by allowing the machine to run experiments over the course of several weeks.
Also see
Asche, S., Cooper, G.J.T., Keenan, G. et al. A robotic prebiotic chemist probes long term reactions of complexifying mixtures. Nat Commun 12, 3547 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23828-z