Scientists at the US Agricultural Research Service have got a new team member to tackle the mysteries of agricultural science - a one-armed robot.
The robot is the centerpiece of an automated system called the ‘plasmid-based functional proteomics work cell.’ The system is said to be the first of its kind to fully automate several procedures that have traditionally been carried out by hand.
Its functions include extracting genetic material from the cells of plants, microbes and other organisms, making DNA copies of genes, inserting the copies into Escherichia coli, culturing these bacteria so that the copies can be sequenced and their proteins identified, and inserting desirable genes into yeasts used to make ethanol.
The robot is said to be able to carry out tasks thousands of times faster than a human could.
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