As if finding a job isn’t already bad enough, scientists had to go and put themselves out of jobs by creating a robotic scientist. The robot, called Adam, has successfully developed and tested a scientific hypothesis all by itself–”Look Ma! No humans!”

The LiveScience article says that this breakthrough could “spare” lab assistants and post-docs some of the “drudgery” of research. Yes, I’ll admit, lab work can sometimes be tedious and boring. But at the same time, it’s part of the joy of science. If we let robots do the work for us, then we are taking out part of the fun, and putting ourselves out of jobs!

“We’ve now demonstrated that Adam can do some novel biology work,” said Ross King in the article, a computer scientist and biologist at Aberystwyth University in the UK.

Adam’s first achievement involved discovering that certain genes in baker’s yeast code for specific enzymes which encourage biochemical reactions in yeast. The robot scientist then ran an experiment with its lab hardware to test its predictions, analyzed the results, and repeated the experiment.

Previously, computers and robots were able to generate repetitive tasks, such as gene sequencing. Five years ago, researchers at the University of Cambridge created a computer that could generate hypotheses and perform experiments.

Adam is one of the first robots to get artificial intelligence to try and control laboratory automation. It may have cost $1 million so far, but Adam can investigate a thousand experiments a day, and still keep track of all the results better than humans can.

Of course, where would Adam be without Eve? Eve is another robotic scientist, dedicated to screening chemical compounds for new pharmaceutical drugs that could combat diseases such as malaria.

Full details on Adam appear in the todays’s issue of the journal Science. Be on the lookout!

Photos courtesy of Carl Zimmer’s blog, The Loom.  Check out the entire Science Tattoo Emporium.

Today marks Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday, and EVERYONE seems to be celebrating.

National Geographic is running a few specials in honor of Darwin.  In case you missed it the first time around (as I did), be prepared to plop yourself in front of the TV from 8-11pm, to watch the series Morphed.

Darwin’s Secret Notebooks will air again on Friday, Feb. 13 at 10pm, and Monster Fish of the Congo will be on again on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 7pm.  I did manage to watch Monster Fish of the Congo the first time it aired, and I have to say…it was FREAKIN’ AWESOME!  Let’s just say that the goliath tigerfish (Hydrocynus goliath) could inspire some nightmares…

The show also inspired me to look into reviving my aquarium.  What type of tank, you may ask?  A CONGO RIVER TANK!  It’s been a few years since I have had an aquarium set up, and watching the various fish on the show made me realize just how cool all the congo fish are….bichirs, spiny eels, elephantnose fish, catfish, knifefish, lungfish…the list goes on and on.  I’ve seen them all in the stores and have always admired them, and even had the (brief) pleasure of owning an elephantnose.  I never thought of having a “theme” though.

Now, getting back to Darwin….If you are lucky enough to live in England (and I am OH SO jealous of those of you that do!), then there are Darwin celebrations APLENTY to attend this year!  Darwin200 is a national program of events honoring Darwin’s scientific ideas and their impact.  There are over 300 events over the course of 2009, all celebrating one of the world’s most creative and influential figures.  One featured event is the Darwin: Big Idea Big Exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London. This exhibit will have Darwin’s mockingbirds on display for the FIRST TIME EVER.  You can read all about Darwin’s mockingbirds in my original post.

Today and tomorrow, UPenn  is hosting a free two-day colloquium to celebrate Darwin’s 200th birthday.  They are also hosting the third annual Darwin Day and Evolution Teach -In on Sunday, Feb. 15 from 1-4pm, one of many Darwin Day celebrations worldwide.  UPenn’s Darwin Day is just one highlight of Philadelphia’s city-wide Year of Evolution events.

Next month, even my own Hofstra University will be hosting a conference called Darwin’s Reach.

My last note for the day is to tell you to check out the cool stamps commemorating Charles Darwin, courtesy of The Conservation Report.