spinach
Latest
Scientists turn spinach into a farm for human heart cells
In the future, you might not have to resort to exotic materials to create heart cells -- you could just raid your grocery store's produce section. Scientists have invented a process that turns spinach leaves into farms for functioning human heart cells. The team started by pumping a detergent solution through the spinach, stripping it of its plant cells and turning it into a ghostly shell made mostly of cellulose. After that, they cultured heart cells on the remaining structure, sending both fluids and microscopic beads through the vegetable's now-empty veins in order to feed the new cells.
ICYMI: Robots so advanced, they cool themselves with sweat
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Researchers from the University of Tokyo devised a better air cooling system for robots that is modeled on their as-yet-overlords, sweaty humans. The 3D-printed bones have spaces for tiny pores, allowing Kengoro to do pushups for 11 minutes without overheating. Next up, world domination.
Spinach-based solar cells get $90,000 development funds from EPA, Popeye delighted
A biohybrid solar panel that substitutes expensive silicon components for a spinach protein has been granted some substantial Phase II funding from the EPA. Students from the Vanderbilt School of Engineering managed to stand out from 44 other university teams vying for funding at the National Sustainable Design Expo held in Washington DC. The team's large-scale panel only ekes out a small amount of electricity from the photosynthetic proteins at the moment, but according to Professor Kane Jennings, the cash injection from the EPA will help achieve higher energy conversion ratios over the next few years. Perhaps you could try wrapping them up into giant 3D cubes, Professor. [Thanks Brandon]
Twirling battery concept promises a quick power fix
We've seen plenty spinning, twirling, and wind-up gadgets from Sony and others, but nothing quite like this battery concept designed by Song Teaho and Hyejin Lee. While there's still a bit of work to be done with the actual "working" part, the concept is to simply let you twirl your cellphone battery around your finger a few times for a quick bit of juice to send a text or make a call -- the designers estimate 130 twirls will give you two minutes of talking time. Of course, the same idea could also be applied to batteries for other devices, although you'd probably have your work cut out for you trying to charge your laptop battery. [Thanks, deej]
