For the first time, human liver tissues have been generated that are truly three-dimensional, being up to 500 microns in thickness in the smallest dimension, and consisting of multiple cell types arranged in defined spatial patterns that reproduce key elements of native tissue architecture. The tissues, fabricated using Organovo’s proprietary NovoGen™ bioprinting platform, are highly …
Genetically engineered T-cell therapy is showing startling effectiveness against leukemia, judging from both scientific and parental accounts: Of the first seven children, five had a complete response – no evidence of cancer – although one of them later relapsed. One child did not respond, and one child’s outcome has not been made public by parents …
Technology Review has an update on the work of Theodore Berger. He is a biomedical engineer and neuroscientist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, envisions a day in the not too distant future when a patient with severe memory loss can get help from an electronic implant. In people whose brains have …
Pugno used three slip knots to make fiber tougher. By applying this simple trick to a commercial polymer fiber called Endumax, he has increased its toughness from 44 Joules per gram to a remarkable 1070 Joules per gram. Kevlar, for example, can absorb some 80 Joules per gram before breaking but this is dwarfed by …
In 2012, SENS Research Foundation was able to support expenses that were double those from the previous year . This was made possible through not only the continued support of our generous donors, but the first in a series of annual disbursements from the de Grey family trust, which together caused SRF’s income to increase …
Sales of traditional PCs are collapsing faster than anyone expected. The latest IDC report released this month that says PC sales are down 14% year over year. IDC talks about Windows 8 – While some consumers appreciate the new form factors and touch capabilities of Windows 8, the radical changes to the UI, removal of …
Sparse coding is a hot area within Deep Learning. Deep learning is the current hot area in artificial intelligence. Dwave is describing how they adapted the math to work in a superior way on their adiabatic quantum computer system. This solution indicates how much the smart mathematicians and computer algorithm experts contribute to making problems …
The Carnival of Nuclear Energy 154 is at Atomic Power Review Dr Robert Hayes at NewsOK – examines the fact that there haven’t been reports of radiation injury as a result of the March, 2011 Fukushima accident, using UNSCEAR and WHO documents as support; he also briefly discusses low-dose effects. The Japanese tsunami caused the …
Splitting Singlets Solar cell efficiency is limited because light at wavelengths shorter than the cell’s absorption threshold does not channel any of its excess energy into the generated electricity. Congreve et al. have developed a method to harvest the excess energy in carbon-based absorbers through a process termed “singlet fission.” In this process, high-energy photons …
Virgin Galactic’s Spaceshiptwo was dropped from a carrier aircraft high above California’s Mojave Desert and ignited its rocket engine to go supersonic for a few seconds. Although it has been in the air on more than 20 occasions, this was the first time its hybrid motor had been ignited. It was only a short burn …
During Google’s Q1 2013 earnings call, CEO Larry Page gave us a rundown on exactly what the company has been up to in this quarter, as well as some insight into how he’s currently running the company. Page discussed Google’s current “big bets,” which are Chrome, YouTube and Android as the mature products that are …