In the 1960s the Hungarian-born American mathematician John von Neumann wrote about machines that could make exact copies of themselves. He envisaged a kind of robot equipped with a computer brain that could be programmed to reproduce itself from raw materials taken from its surroundings. It wasn’t long before some people suggested that von Neumann machines, in the form of robot spacecraft, would be a great way for us to explore the Galaxy.

My other YouTube channels:
The Science Fiction Rock Experience (the music show I produce):
/ @sciencefictionrockexperience.
Discover Maths (with Juan Medina):
/ @discovermaths.
Science World (with Emrah Polat):
/ @scienceworld1

My website:
https://www.daviddarling.info