Tag: stem cells

Vertebrates Became Predators By Tweaking the Neural Crest

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: Caltech scientists have discovered that a population of embryonic stem cells called neural crest cells may help explain how vertebrates progressively evolved a more and more efficient head. Neural crest cells originate within the developing central nervous system before migrating throughout the embryo. They are a major player in the development of the…

Humans evolved to think faster by slowing down brain development

Using stem cells to grow mini brains in a dish has let us compare the way brains develop in humans, chimpanzees and monkeys, and spot the differences Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2219657-humans-evolved-to-think-faster-by-slowing-down-brain-development/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

CRISPR Gene-Editing May Offer Path To Cure For HIV, First Published Report Shows

An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: Chinese scientists have published the first report in a scientific journal of an attempt to use CRISPR-edited cells in a patient — a 27-year-old man who is HIV-positive. While the treatment did not rid the man of the AIDS virus, the researchers and others are calling the report promising. That’s because it indicates…

New Technique Can Bioprint Living Tissue In Seconds

An anonymous reader quotes Engadget: Bioprinting holds great potential for repairing injuries, testing drugs or replacing whole organs, but it’s currently limited in complexity, viability and speed — you can’t just create tissue on a whim. Soon, though, it might be a matter of crafting whatever you need when you need it. Scientists at EPFL and University Medical Center Utrecht have…

Scientists Reverse Aging Process In Rat Brain Stem Cells

Scientists who discovered aging appears to be related to the stiffness of the environment where cells live have reversed the process in rat brain stem cells. Newsweek reports: Researchers studied oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in young and old rat brains, and found they were affected by stiffness in the organ caused by aging. These stem cells, meaning they can turn into…

Mapping how the ‘immortal’ hydra regrows cells may demystify regeneration

In the continually regenerating hydra, fluorescent markers help researchers track stem cells on the way to their cellular fate. Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mapping-how-immortal-hydra-regrows-cells-may-demystify-regeneration4…

Scientists 3D-Print Human Skin and Bone For Mars Astronauts

Scientists from the University Hospital of Dresden Technical University in Germany have successfully bio-printed skin and bone samples upside down to help determine if the method could be used in a low-gravity environment. CNET reports: The skin sample was printed using human blood plasma as a “bio ink.” The researchers added plant and algae-based materials to increase the viscosity so it…

Researchers Awaken Ancient Lifeforms Exposed By Thawing Ice Caps and Permafrost

“Researchers in a warming Arctic are discovering organisms, frozen and presumed dead for millennia, that can bear life anew,” reports the Washington Post: These ice age zombies range from simple bacteria to multicellular animals, and their endurance is prompting scientists to revise their understanding of what it means to survive… Mosses have forged a tougher path. They desiccate when temperatures plummet,…

‘Pumping Heart Patch’ Ready For Human Use

A “pumping” patch containing millions of living, beating stem cells could help repair the damage caused by a heart attack, according to researchers. Reader dryriver shares a report: Sewn on to the heart, the 3cm (1in) by 2cm patch, grown in a lab from a sample of the patient’s own cells, then turns itself into healthy working muscle. It also releases…