It has been argued that self-replicating robotic probes could spread to all stars of our galaxy within a timespan that is tiny on cosmological scales, even if they travel well below the speed of light ...

Let’s take a look at one of John von Neumann’s most fascinating contributions to science: the Von Neumann probe. Simply put, a Von Neumann probe is a self-replicating device that could, one day, be ...

It’s time to start controlling the galaxy, and the best tool for the job is a self-replicating probe. Space probes that can go incredibly long distances, replicate themselves, and carry things like ...

In 1948-49, mathematician, physicist, computer scientist, and engineer John von Neumann introduced the world to his idea of “Universal Assemblers,” a species of self-replicating robots. Von Neumann’s ...

Zaza Osmanov, a physics professor at the Free University of Tbilisi, Georgia, wants to find mischievous, self-replicating probes built by a hyper-advanced alien civilization. “The self-replication ...

New research has revealed that the world's largest radio telescope, located in China, could potentially spot self-replicating probes launched by a distant intelligent alien civilization, should they ...

We’ve never encountered aliens. Or alien probes. Nothing at all, in fact. But tiny self-replicating alien space probes could already be in our Solar System. If they were then could humanity’s biggest ...

As Charles Stross explains, it's an easy four-step process. First, build a Von Neumann probe — an automated spaceship that can refuel, repair, and make copies of itself. Second, program the probe to ...

Scientists and engineers since the 1940s have been toying with the idea of building self-replicating machines, or von Neumann machines, named for John von Neumann. With recent advances in 3D printing ...