Free Republic

Researchers have developed a new kind of synthetic creature, using the heart cells of a rat to make a robotic stingray that follows light. While the rat-ray hybrid certainly sounds like a bit of a Frankenstein mish-mash, it's serious research that could help pave the way for a greater understanding of how hearts pump blood around the body – in addition to leading to new kinds of more sophisticated synthetic robots. The ray is the brainchild of bioengineer Kit Parker from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, who was inspired to develop the cyborg after visiting an aquarium with his...