Capsules embedded between layers of this fake tissue simulate human blood and pus. Small 3D-printed liquid capsules inserted between layers of tissue burst open, mimicking blood, when surgeons make an incision. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Budding surgeons may soon train on stretchy, lifelike 3D-printed skin that oozes out blood and pus when cut. A new printable material developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities more closely mimics the adaptive nature of human tissue.

With the increasing use of assistive robots in rehabilitation and assisted mobility of human patients, there has been a need for a deeper understanding of human-robot interactions particularly through simulations, allowing an understanding of these interactions in a digital environment. There is an emphasis on accurately modelling personalised 3D human digital twins in these simulations, to glean more insights on human-robot interactions. In this paper, we propose to integrate personalised soft-body feet, generated using the motion capture data of real human subjects, into a skeletal model and train it with a walking control policy. Through evaluation using ground reaction force and joint angle results, the soft-body feet were able to generate ground reaction force results comparable to real measured data and closely follow joint angle results of the bare skeletal model and the reference motion. This presents an interesting avenue to produce a dynamically accurate human model in simulation driven by their own control policy while only seeing kinematic information during training.

For decades, the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has aimed to create computers that have the capabilities of a human brain. Now, a new study proposes a'new frontier' for computing called'organoid intelligence' (OI) that could surpass the learning capabilities of any machine. OI uses organoids – tiny lab-grown tissue resembling fully grown organs – as a form of'biological hardware' and potentially a smarter alternative to the silicon chips in AI. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore think a'biocomputer' powered by an organoid made up of millions of human brain cells could be developed within our lifetime. While previous studies have questioned whether a biocomputer would cross an'ethical line', the team says organoids would be used in a safe and'ethically responsible manner'.

This synthetic fish is powered by human heart cells. Scientists say that they could help lead the way toward building replacement hearts from human tissue. This synthetic fish is powered by human heart cells. Scientists say that they could help lead the way toward building replacement hearts from human tissue. Scientists have built a school of robotic fish powered by human heart cells.

It's not often that a twitching, snowman-shaped blob of 3D human tissue makes someone's day. But when Dr. Sergiu Pasca at Stanford University witnessed the tiny movement, he knew his lab had achieved something special. You see, the blob was evolved from three lab-grown chunks of human tissue: a mini-brain, mini-spinal cord, and mini-muscle. Each individual component, churned to eerie humanoid perfection inside bubbling incubators, is already a work of scientific genius. But Pasca took the extra step, marinating the three components together inside a soup of nutrients.

Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes that protect chromosome ends. Their length is of great interest because short telomeres are associated with specific diseases and with aging. Demanelis et al. measured telomere length from 952 Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project donors across tissues, of which 24 tissue types have measurements for more than 25 samples. This dataset shows that telomere length is not constant but is correlated across tissues. Most tissue telomeres shorten with age, but some, such as those in the testis and cerebellum, do not. In African Americans, telomeres are longer on average than those from individuals of primarily European descent across many tissue types. This observation is consistent with variability being passed from germ cells to zygote to differentiated cells during development. Science , this issue p. [eaaz6876][1] ### INTRODUCTION Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes located at the end of chromosomes that protect chromosome ends from degradation and fusion. The DNA component of telomeres shortens with each cell division, eventually triggering cellular senescence. Telomere length (TL) in blood cells has been studied extensively as a biomarker of human aging and risk factor for age-related diseases. The extent to which TL in whole blood reflects TL in disease-relevant tissue types is unknown, and the variability in TL across human tissues has not been well characterized. The postmortem tissue samples collected by the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project provide an opportunity to study TL in many human tissue types, and accompanying data on inherited genetic variation, gene expression, and donor characteristics enable us to examine demographic, genetic, and biologic determinants and correlates of TL within and across tissue types. ### RATIONALE To better understand variation in and determinants of TL, we measured relative TL (RTL, telomere repeat abundance in a DNA sample relative to a standard sample) in more than 25 tissue types from 952 GTEx donors (deceased, aged 20 to 70 years old). RTL was measured for 6391 unique tissue samples using a Luminex assay, generating the largest publicly available multitissue TL dataset. We integrated our RTL measurements with data on GTEx donor characteristics, inherited genetic variation, and tissue-specific expression and analyzed relationships between RTL and covariates using linear mixed models (across all tissues and within tissues). Through this analysis, we sought to accomplish four goals: (i) characterize sources of variation in TL, (ii) evaluate whole-blood TL as a proxy for TL in other tissue types, (iii) examine the relationship between age and TL across tissue types, and (iv) describe biological determinants and correlates of TL. ### RESULTS Variation in RTL was attributable to tissue type, donor, and age and, to a lesser extent, race or ethnicity, smoking, and inherited variants known to affect leukocyte TL. RTLs were generally positively correlated among tissues, and whole-blood RTL was a proxy for RTL in most tissues. RTL varied across tissue types and was shortest in whole blood and longest in testis. RTL was inversely associated with age in most tissues, and this association was strongest for tissues with shorter average RTL. African ancestry was associated with longer RTL across all tissues and within specific tissue types, suggesting that ancestry-based differences in TL exist in germ cells and are transmitted to the zygote. A polygenic score consisting of inherited variants known to affect leukocyte TL was associated with RTL across all tissues, and several of these TL-associated variants affected expression of nearby genes in multiple tissue types. Carriers of rare, loss-of-function variants in TL-maintenance genes had shorter RTL (based on analysis of multiple tissue types), suggesting that these variants may contribute to shorter TL in individuals from the general population. Components of telomerase, a TL maintenance enzyme, were more highly expressed in testis than in any other tissue. We found evidence that RTL may mediate the effect of age on gene expression in human tissues. ### CONCLUSION We have characterized the variability in TL across many human tissue types and the contributions of aging, ancestry, genetic variation, and other biologic processes to this variability. The correlation observed among TL measures from different tissues highlights the existence of host factors with effects on TL that are shared across tissue types (e.g., TL in the zygote). These results have important implications for the interpretation of epidemiologic studies of leukocyte TL and disease. ![Figure][2] TL in human tissues. Using a Luminex-based assay, TL was measured in DNA samples from >25 different human tissue types from 952 deceased donors in the GTEx project. TL within tissue types is determined by numerous factors, including zygotic TL, age, and exposures. TL differs across tissues and correlates among tissue types. TL in most tissues declines with age. Telomere shortening is a hallmark of aging. Telomere length (TL) in blood cells has been studied extensively as a biomarker of human aging and disease; however, little is known regarding variability in TL in nonblood, disease-relevant tissue types. Here, we characterize variability in TLs from 6391 tissue samples, representing >20 tissue types and 952 individuals from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. We describe differences across tissue types, positive correlation among tissue types, and associations with age and ancestry. We show that genetic variation affects TL in multiple tissue types and that TL may mediate the effect of age on gene expression. Our results provide the foundational knowledge regarding TL in healthy tissues that is needed to interpret epidemiological studies of TL and human health. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aaz6876 [2]: pending:yes

Such devices could monitor for tumor development or stand in for damaged tissues. But connecting electronics directly to human tissues in the body is a huge challenge. Now, a team is reporting new coatings for components that could help them more easily fit into this environment. The researchers will present their results today (Agusut 17, 2020) at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting & Expo. ACS is holding the meeting through Thursday.

An ethical line may have been crossed by neuroscientists who have created mini-brains from human tissue that can feel and may even suffer, experts have warned. So-called organoids are blobs of lab-grown tissue cultivated from human stem cells to resemble tiny organs -- in this case, the brain. Although these mini-brains may only be the size of peanut, they have been observed to develop spontaneous brainwaves, not unlike those that seen in premature babies. Organoids are considered a significant development in neuroscience, as they allow researchers to study brain tissue free of the usual constraints. These simulacra are used to investigate such disorders as autism and schizophrenia, and the impact of Zika virus on the development of brains in the womb.

The next SpaceX mission to the International Space Station (ISS) may be uncrewed, but it could nonetheless eventually help humanity extend its footprint far beyond low Earth orbit. The company's robotic Dragon cargo capsule is scheduled to launch toward the ISS atop a Falcon 9 rocket on July 21 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. In addition to food, water and other supplies, Dragon will be toting 2,500 lbs. A fair number of these payloads have a distinct space-settlement flavor. For example, the BioRocks experiment will investigate how microbes interact with rocks in a low-gravity environment, potentially paving the way for "biomining" on the moon and Mars.

In a talk given today at the American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting, Google researchers described a prototype of an augmented reality microscope that could be used to help physicians diagnose patients. When pathologists are analyzing biological tissue to see if there are signs of cancer -- and if so, how much and what kind -- the process can be quite time-consuming. And it's a practice that Google thinks could benefit from deep learning tools. The company, however, believes this microscope could allow groups with limited funds, such as small labs and clinics, or developing countries to benefit from these tools in a simple, easy-to-use manner. Google says the scope could "possibly help accelerate and democratize the adoption of deep learning tools for pathologists around the world." The microscope is an ordinary light microscope, the kind used by pathologists worldwide.