Researchers at Tel Aviv University have 3D-printed a complete, small-scale human heart, complete with inner chambers and its own blood vessels and circulatory system. Just as impressive, the heart matches the biochemical and immune system properties of the person who donated the cells the heart was made from. That means that, if the heart were...
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Drinking the bottle along with the water
People in North America ingest at least 100,000 tiny pieces of plastic every year, according to a report by a coalition of research biologists in British Columbia. The pieces may be as long as a fifth of an inch – about five millimeters – and thin enough to be virtually invisible. The report is the...
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Harvesting metals from the deep ocean floor
The treasures that litter the world’s seabeds aren’t in pirates’ chests; they’re in fist-sized lumps of ore that are rich in minerals and metals such as cobalt, a key component in electronic devices, as well as copper, molybdenum, nickel, and others. But a lack of workable technology, coupled with the relative abundance of these minerals...
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Cells found that regenerate body parts
Cells that control the regeneration of body parts have been found in tadpoles but scientists think the discovery holds promise for finding a mechanism to do the same in mammals – including people. A tadpole will grow a new tail if it loses the original but no one has known how. Now researchers at the...
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Anti-heartburn drugs found to cause kidney disease, cancer
Nexium, Prilosec and other so-called “proton-pump inhibitor” anti-heartburn drugs, or PPIs, do more than tame that chili dog you had for lunch. Long-term use can cause cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and cancer in the upper digestive tract, according to a study from Washington University’s medical school. The study looked at about 210,000 US military veterans...
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Microbes make new plastics
Plastics don’t have to be made from petroleum. To prove the point, researchers at Aivan, a Finnish design studio, made a set of headphones from plastics created by yeast, fungi, and other micro-organisms. The hard plastic frame that straddles a person’s head was 3D-printed from a biodegradable plastic grown by the lactic acid in baker’s...
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Zapping memories back to life
As we age, we can begin to lose the ability to remember – not just where you left your glasses, but also long-term memories, such as the face of your favorite uncle. Now researchers at Boston University have shown a way to revive those memories with a jolt of electricity. The scientists gave a short-term...
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Vaping can clog your lungs
E-cigarettes have been marketed as being safer than smoking tobacco but that doesn’t mean that they’re safe. A multi-university study published in June in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reports that vaping – smoking e-cigarettes – dries out the airways in the lungs, making it harder for smokers to clear mucus...