Researchers described a system in which AI agents take a scientist's description of a research goal and lab setup, then write detailed step-by-step protocols for lab robots. The agents build a virtual replica of the lab to test and refine these protocols before directing real robotic arms to carry them out, and can even help design an entire lab layout from scratch. In one test, the agents generated over 200 commands for a robotic arm to measure optical properties of nanocrystals, detailed in an October preprint that has not been peer reviewed.
nature.com
· 2026-11-06
Researchers led by Professor Ido Braslavsky at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem created BioPykrete, a composite of ice, cellulose nanocrystals and an engineered protein called CBM3a-AFPIII. The material is about ten times stronger under compression than ordinary ice, absorbs roughly 70 times more energy before failing, and deforms gradually rather than cracking suddenly.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-14
Researchers created a reinforced ice material called BioPykrete by combining ice with cellulose nanocrystals and a custom-designed protein, CBM3a-AFPIII, that bonds the two together. In small-scale laboratory tests, the composite proved roughly 10 times stronger than ordinary ice and absorbed 70 times more energy before fracturing. The study was published in the journal Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.
science.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-13
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