organ
Latest
Tiny power plant can charge a pacemaker through heartbeats
Pacemakers and other electronic implants are a pain to keep running -- patients need surgery to replace batteries, and body-powered generators aren't currently strong enough to charge these devices. They may be far more practical in the future, though, as American and Chinese researchers have developed a piezoelectric power plant that could charge an implant all by itself. The prototype machine generates electricity through the movement of nanoribbons that are tiny enough to be sewn into an organ's surface, but efficient enough to power a pacemaker solely through heartbeats. The device could also keep implants going through the motion of a diaphragm or lung. Scientists still need to test the long-term viability of this miniscule energy factory; there's no guarantee that it's safe enough to last for years inside a human body. If it proves useful, however, it could save implant recipients from repeatedly visiting the hospital for maintenance.
Facebook adds organ donation to Timeline Life Events
In the off-chance you're among those bemoaning the limits of sharable personal information on Facebook, the social network has some good news. This time out, however, sharing is a bit more serious, potentially affecting the more than 114,000 people in the US alone who are waiting for an organ donation. Zuck and co. today announced that it has added organ donor status to its Timeline view. Users can add where and when they signed up and share their donation stories. "[W]e believe that by simply telling people that you're an organ donor, the power of sharing and connection can play an important role," the company wrote in a blog post today. You can also use the feature to find a link to an official donor registry in your area. For more info, check the source link below.
Conductor controls Aussie pipe organ through MIDI and Kinect, explains how he did it (video)
Doing a little desktop DJing with Kinect and a MIDI device is nothing new, but last year a man with loftier musical machinations took Kinect conducting to the next level. Chris Vik composed a piece that he and vocalist Elise Richards performed using the sensor bar and the massive Town Hall organ in Melbourne, Australia last November. Recently, he released a video explaining how he made the magic happen. The organ, despite being built in 1929, was retrofitted to take MIDI input back in the late 1990s, which allowed Vik to use a custom bit of code he wrote, called Kinectar, to communicate with it. That software also allows users to assign various notes, chords, and scales to different spatial zones and gestures, then trigger them through Kinect. The results were pretty impressive, so head on after the break to soak up the sonic goodness for yourself.
Harvard scientists reverse aging in mice, laugh maniacally at human possibilities
The reversal of aging has been one of the great dreams of humanity, but it seems like our rodent overlords have beat us to it. The Harvard Medical School has demonstrated "a dramatic reversal" in the aging process when reintroducing the enzyme telomerase into old and feeble mice. What happened was that their naturally worn out organs started to regenerate, instead of degenerating further, bringing them back to a youthful state of health. Sadly, while the results of this study are hugely important, there are a couple of caveats to make: firstly, the mice in question were genetically modified to suffer from a lack of telomerase, which might have inflated the results of the tests relative to regular mice, but more importantly, an increase in telomerase in humans is "a hallmark of most human cancers." So, if you want a shot of Benjamin Button brew, you'll have to be very patient indeed. For now, let's just be happy that Algernon and his buddies have found their fountain of youth. [Thanks, Vygantas]
Chipophone is the chiptune organ that you've always wanted
This is no ordinary electric organ, my friend. Swedish software engineer Linus Åkesson loves chiptune so much (don't we all?) that he felt the urge to convert this old-school instrument into an 8-bit synthesizer. By rewiring the keys, pedals and buttons to a couple of microcontrollers (which isn't quite our usual weekend project in the garage), the reborn organ -- dubbed the Chipophone -- can now reproduce classic hits like Super Mario Bros' theme tune on the fly. Oh, and you can even record loops and change their tempo on this bad boy. We're not sure if Linus is planning on publishing the full details of his fabulous mod, but he'll be performing here all week anyway. Well, on YouTube at least -- check him out after the break.
Rat lungs successfully grown in bioreactor: groundbreaking, yet also kind of gross
Bioartifical organs differ from, well, plain ol' artificial organs because they consist of biomaterials and cells. And while bioartificial livers are becoming increasingly commonplace, it's only recently that working lungs have been grown in a lab. Working at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, researchers removed the left lungs from rats and stripped them of cells with a process that left the blood vessels, airways, and connective tissues intact. Using all that as a sort of scaffolding, lung cells were regrown on the scaffolding in a bioreactor. The cultivation of the lungs took less than a week, and once they'd been run through their paces in culture, they were transplanted into rats. At this point, the lungs did their job for about six hours, after which "they failed through accumulation of fluid inside the lung and resultant capillary leakage," according to PhysOrg. According to the man in charge, Mass General's Harald C. Ott, if work continues at the current pace we might begin to see regenerated organs for human patients within the next ten years. To see the thing in action, hit up that source link.
Researchers create functioning human lung on a microchip
Researchers at Harvard University have successfully created a functioning, respirating human 'lung' on a chip in a lab. Made using human and blood vessel cells and a microchip, the translucent lung is far simpler in terms of observation than traditional, actual human lungs (for obvious reasons), in a small convenient package about the size of a pencil eraser. The researchers have demonstrated its effectiveness and are now moving toward showing its ability to replicate gas exchange between lung cells and the bloodstream. Down the road a bit more, the team hopes to produce other organs on chips, and hook them all up to the already operational heart on a chip. And somewhere in the world, Margaret Atwood and her pigoons are rejoicing, right? Here's to the future. Video description of the device is below.
Castlevania music hits it really, really big
Our lives are officially forfeit. At a recent Video Games Live show at Yale's Woolsey Hall, classic Castlevania music was performed on a three-story pipe organ, like it was always meant to be. And we were nowhere near it. What is there to live for now? Oh, right, playing this video of it over and over again. Check out the video after the break, and gasp along with us as Vampire Killer kicks in. We feel bad for the poor pipe organ, having gotten a taste of Vania music and forced now to return to its former life.[Via Joystiq]
Castlevania themes played on massive pipe organ
Add this to your list of things you never knew you needed to see: The music of Castlevania played on a three-story pipe organ. The video was taken during a Video Games Live performance at Yale's Woolsey Hall this past weekend. The century-old organ is apparently famous ... if, you know, you're a pipe organ aficionado. Oh, who are we kidding? Attempting to be cynical in the face of something this rad is pretty futile.That being said, check out the guy unable to keep himself from applauding at 28 seconds in when he realizes what's going on. Don't laugh too hard though; wouldn't we all do the same?
