BBSRC research listed in Time magazine's top 10 scientific discoveries of 2009

23 December 2009

BBSRC-funded research that developed the first machine to have independently discovered new scientific knowledge has been hailed as one of the Top 10 scientific discoveries of 2009 by Time magazine.

In their 'Top 10 of Everything 2009' feature Time listed Prof Ross King's BBSRC-fund research at Aberystwyth University that developed 'Adam' - a computer-controlled robot that fully automates the scientific process. The research was published in the journal Science in April 2009.

The scientists designed Adam to carry out each stage of the scientific process automatically without the need for further human intervention. The robot discovered simple but new scientific knowledge about the genomics of the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an organism that scientists use to model more complex life systems. The researchers used separate manual experiments to confirm that Adam’s hypotheses were both novel and correct.

Alongside Adam the Robot, Time listed other scientific milestones from 2009, including the restarting of the Large Hadron Collider and the discovery of water on the moon.

Contact

Matt Goode, Head of External Relations
matt.goode@bbsrc.ac.uk
tel: 01793 413299
fax: 01793 413382

Tracey Jewitt, Media Officer
tracey.jewitt@bbsrc.ac.uk
tel: 01793 414694
fax: 01793 413382