1. One thing that helps
Need a quick internal organ patch up? UNSW in Sydney has developed a tiny, flexible robotic arm that can 3D print material directly on organs inside a living person’s body. It acts like an endoscope and can be snaked into a specific location to deliver layers of special biomaterial to reconstruct tissue, clean up wounds, and make precise incisions.
It allows surgeons to use one tool for many functions instead of changing from one tool to another. The jack-of-all-trades endoscopic tool can also use electrical arcs to cut up tissue and water to wash wounds and excess tissue. Hydraulics allow it to bend all around as can be seen in the video. Even better, it can do all these functions simultaneously!
It has so far been used to 3D print on a dead pig’s liver. The next step is upgrading the capabilities of the endoscope to include a 3D scanner and camera. Then, they will try it out on living animals to see if it can be safely used on humans. It is hoped that this tool will help surgeons and patients “cut” surgery times.
2. One to be wary of
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (of ChatGPT fame), has invested $180 million in a biotech start-up called Retro Biosciences. Their aim is to design methods to prevent multiple age-related diseases and increase healthy human lifespan by 10 years. What inspired this venture? Apparently, it was “young blood” research.
In a gruesome Frankenstein like experiment, scientists have surgically stitched the skin of old mice and young mice together so that their blood systems combine. This meant that the blood of young mice is circulating in the body of old mice. The old mice are then given an injection of GDF11 which promotes growth and has anti-aging properties. Another method, which Altman and his colleagues have discussed is plasma intervention where the blood plasma of old mice is simply diluted to obtain the same results.
This feels like one of those things that would be great if it worked, but more likely we’re going to end up in some half-dead / half-alive state drooling in the corner. And don’t forget the Frankenstein mice, I don’t want to be stitched up to anyone else no matter how long I live!
3. One to amaze
Smell is one of the most evocative senses. We know what places like Ancient Egypt looked like, we know the sorts of things people did, but we have no idea what history smells like! They didn’t bath a lot, so maybe we don’t want to – but the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Jena, Germany, is using tech to uncover the scents of the past.
To rediscover scents, the researchers are primarily using two techniques: chromatography and mass spectrometry. Chromatography is used to separate the components of a mixture. Mass spectrometry then identifies substances using their molecular weight. Together, researchers are able to get a clearer picture of what comprised ancient scents like incense and perfume, as well as how they are produced.
For example, this technique may help us to figure out the scent that Cleopatra wore. We have recipes from ancient text and temples but we need to discover the process. As Sean Coughlin, a researcher of ancient and medieval thought, says, “What we’re really trying to do is use organic chemistry to be able to tell us something about the process, because we think that the process was actually what would determine the range of possible scents.”
Besides rediscovering scents from the past, researchers are creating a library of scents from the modern world. Hey, if the future goes fully digital, the scent of old books will be a rare experience. Pipe me in the smell of old library books while I’m on my Kindle please!