Biotechnology firm United Therapeutics has showcased what it claims to be the “world’s most complex 3D printed object” in partnership with 3D printer manufacturer 3D Systems at the recent LIFE ITSELF conference in San Diego.
The partners have produced a 3D printed human lung scaffold capable of demonstrating gas exchange in animal models, and are now planning to cellularize the scaffold with a patient’s own stem cells to create tolerable, transplantable human lungs.
“Last week, it was exciting to show the public our 3D printed human lung scaffold, but we’re thrilled to share that our 3D printed lung scaffolds are now demonstrating gas exchange in animal models,” said Dr. Martine Rothblatt, United Therapeutics’ Chairperson and CEO. “We are regularly printing lung scaffolds as accurately as driving across the United States and not deviating from a course by more than the width of a human hair.
This research uncovers diverse neural roles in processing words and complex sentences.
MIT neuroscientists have identified several brain regions responsible for processing language using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
However, discovering the specific functions of neurons in those regions has proven difficult because fMRI, which measures changes in blood flow, doesn’t have a high resolution to reveal what small populations of neurons are doing.
Now, using a more precise technique that involves recording electrical activity directly from the brain, MIT neuroscientists have identified different clusters of neurons that appear to process different amounts of linguistic context.
What does the future hold? What will become of this planet and its inhabitants in the centuries to come? We are living in a historical period that sometimes feels like the prelude to something truly remarkable or terribly dire about to unfold. This captivating video seeks to decipher the signs and attempt to construct plausible scenarios from the nearly nothing we hold in our hands today. As always, it will be scientific discoveries leading the dance of change, while philosophers, writers, politicians, and all the others will have the seemingly trivial task of containing, describing, and guiding. Before embarking on our journey through time, let me state the obvious: No one knows the future! Numerous micro and macro factors could alter this trajectory—world wars, pandemics, unimaginable social shifts, or climate disasters. Nevertheless, we’re setting off. And we’re doing so by discussing the remaining decades of the century we’re experiencing right now.
- DISCUSSIONS \& SOCIAL MEDIA
Commercial Purposes: [email protected]. Tik Tok: / insanecuriosity. Reddit: / insanecuriosity. Instagram: / insanecuriositythereal. Twitter: / insanecurio. Facebook: / insanecuriosity. Linkedin: / insane-curiosity-46b928277 Our Website: https://insanecuriosity.com/ – Credits: Ron Miller, Mark A. Garlick / MarkGarlick.com, Elon Musk/SpaceX/ Flickr. – 00:00 Intro. 01:20 Artificial Intelligence. 02:40 2030 The ELT telescope. 03:20 2031 The International Space Station is deorbited. 04:05 2035 The cons. 04:45 2036 Humans landed on mars. 05:05 2037. The global population reaches 9 billion. 05:57 2038 2038. Airplane accident casualties = 0 06:20 Fusion power is nearing commercial availability. 07:01 2042 Supercomputers. 07:30 2045 turning point for human-artificial intelligence interactions. 08:58 2051 Establishment of the first permanent lunar base. 09:25 2067 The first generation of antimatter-powered spacecraft emerging. 10:07 2080 Autonomous vehicles dominate the streets. 10:35 2090 Religion is fading from European culture. 10:55 2099 Consideration of Mars terraforming. 11:28 22nd century Moon and Mars Settlements. 12:10 2,130 transhumanism. 12:41 2,132 world records are shattered. 12:57 2,137 a space elevator. 14:32 2,170 By this year, there are dozens of human settlements on the Moon. 15:18 2180 16:18 23rd century Immortality. 16:49 2,230 Hi-Tech and Automated Cities. 17:23 2,310 23rd Century: Virtual Reality and Immortality. 18:01 2,320 antimatter-powered propulsion. 18:40 2,500 Terraforming Mars Abandoned. 19:05 2,600 Plastic Cleanup. 19:25 2,800 Silent Probes. 19:37 3,100 Humanity as a Type 2 Civilization. – #insanecuriosity #timelapseofthefuture #futuretime
Scientists at Northwestern University say they’ve invented a goo — yes, a goo — that could open the door to regenerating human knee cartilage, a finding that could eventually lead to new clinical ways to rebuild knee joints and avoid invasive and expensive knee replacement surgeries.
Cartilage is the connective tissue that wraps around joints and bones, working to absorb shock, aid mobility, and protect against painful bone-on-bone friction. These are all tough — and important! — jobs, and yet cartilage doesn’t naturally regenerate on its own. As a result, those with worn-down or damaged cartilage often wind up turning to knee replacement surgery. While effective, that road can be expensive and generally requires a lengthy recovery period.
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has found immense success as a delivery system for gene therapy, yet the small 4.7 kb packaging capacity of the AAV sharply limits the scope of its application. In addition, high doses of AAV are frequently required to facilitate therapeutic effects, leading to acute toxicity issues. While dual and triple AAV approaches have been developed to mitigate the packaging capacity problem, these necessitate even higher doses to ensure that co-infection occurs at sufficient frequency. To address these challenges, we herein describe a novel delivery system consisting of adenovirus (Ad) covalently linked to multiple adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsids as a new way of more efficiently co-infecting cells with lower overall amounts of AAVs. We utilize the DogTag-DogCatcher (DgT-DgC) molecular glue system to construct our AdAAVs and we demonstrate that these hybrid virus complexes achieve enhanced co-transduction of cultured cells. This technology may eventually broaden the utility of AAV gene delivery by providing an alternative to dual or triple AAV which can be employed at lower dose while reaching higher co-transduction efficiency.
Although adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy has shown enormous promise and led to five clinically approved treatments,1–3 it is consistently hampered by the vector’s low DNA packaging capacity of 4.7 kb. Great effort has gone into developing dual AAV systems, which deliver two parts of a therapeutic gene in separate capsids that aim to co-infect the same cells.4–7 Analogous triple AAV systems have also been explored.8,9 Dual and triple AAV systems can recombine their split genes into complete form through mechanisms of DNA trans-splicing, RNA trans-splicing, or protein splicing via split inteins.5,7 However, dual and triple AAVs typically require higher doses to achieve efficient co-transduction of cells, especially when systemic administration is necessary.10 This makes sense since the likelihood of two or three cargos reaching the same cell should roughly correspond to the proportion of a single cargo reaching the cell squared or cubed respectively.
A new Nature Human Behaviourstudy, jointly led by Dr. Margherita Malanchini at Queen Mary University of London and Dr. Andrea Allegrini at University College London, has revealed that non-cognitive skills, such as motivation and self-regulation, are as important as intelligence in determining academic success. These skills become increasingly influential throughout a child’s education, with genetic factors playing a significant role.
The research, conducted in collaboration with an international team of experts, suggests that fostering non-cognitive skills alongside cognitive abilities could significantly improve educational outcomes.
“Our research challenges the long-held assumption that intelligence is the primary driver of academic achievement,” says Dr. Malanchini, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Queen Mary University of London.
A novel, water-resistant patch-wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (P-WCD) is safe and effective for patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest, according to a study published in the Aug. 6 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
John Hummel, M.D., from The Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues assessed the safety and clinical effectiveness of a novel P-WCD. The analysis included 290 patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest due to ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation who were not candidates for or refused an implantable defibrillator.
The researchers found that the clinically significant cutaneous adverse device effect rate was 2.30 percent, with no severe adverse effects. There were no device-related deaths or serious adverse events reported. The inappropriate shock rate was 0.36 per 100 patient-months. Nine patients received 11 shocks, of which nine shocks were adjudicated to be appropriate. Eight of nine appropriate shocks were successful with a single shock. Median wear time compliance was 23.5 hours per day.
Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have emerged as a promising solution for restoring communication and control to individuals with severe motor impairments. Traditionally, these systems have been bulky, power-intensive, and limited in their practical applications. Researchers at EPFL have developed the first high-performance, Miniaturized Brain-Machine Interface (MiBMI), offering an extremely small, low-power, highly accurate, and versatile solution.
Published in the latest issue of the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits (“MiBMI: A 192/512-Channel 2.46mm 2 Miniaturized Brain-Machine Interface Chipset Enabling 31-Class Brain-to-Text Conversion Through Distinctive Neural Codes”) and presented at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, the MiBMI not only enhances the efficiency and scalability of brain-machine interfaces but also paves the way for practical, fully implantable devices. This technology holds the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for patients with conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal cord injuries.
