ScienceAugust 8, 2026

bionic

bye-ON-ik

Definition

Relating to the use of artificial devices or electronic components to enhance or replace natural biological functions.

Etymology

The word is a portmanteau coined in 1960 by Jack Steele, combining 'biology' and 'electronic' to describe systems that function like living organisms.

In the news

In the context of genome research, the term describes advanced synthetic or technological interfaces that could potentially integrate with biological models to improve the study of diseases.

Telomere-to-telomere brown rat genome could sharpen disease research models

Read the full article ↗

medicalxpress.com

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