#bio engineering

scientists grabbed the myoglobin (a protein gene that stores oxygen in the muscles which gives it that distinct “meaty vibe”) gene from wooly mammoth DNA, filled the gaps with DNA from its closest relative the African elephant,

And injected that shit into sheep muscle cells. The result being what is known as the “wooly mammoth meatball”.

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Business insider article

The sea slug, Elysia chlorotica, steals millions of green-colored plastids, which are like tiny solar panels, from algae. Credit: Karen N. Pelletreau/University of Maine

A Northeast sea slug sucks raw materials from algae to provide its lifetime supply of solar-powered energy, according to a study by Rutgers University-New Brunswick, USA.

‘It's a remarkable feat because it's highly unusual for an animal to behave like a plant and survive solely on photosynthesis,’ said Debashish Bhattacharya, senior author of the study and professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Rutgers-New Brunswick. ‘The broader implication is in the field of artificial photosynthesis. That is, if we can figure out how the slug maintains stolen, isolated plastids to fix carbon without the plant nucleus, then maybe we can also harness isolated plastids for eternity as green machines to create bioproducts or energy. The existing paradigm is that to make green energy, we need the plant or alga to run the photosynthetic organelle, but the slug shows us that this does not have to be the case.’

The sea slug Elysia chlorotica, a mollusk that can grow to more than 2 inches long, has been found in the intertidal zone between Nova Scotia, Canada, and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, as well as in Florida. Juvenile sea slugs eat the nontoxic brown alga Vaucheria litorea and become photosynthetic – or solar-powered – after stealing millions of algal plastids, which are like tiny solar panels, and storing them in their gut lining, according to the study published online in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.

This particular alga is an ideal food source because it does not have walls between adjoining cells in its body and is essentially a long tube loaded with nuclei and plastids, Bhattacharya said. ‘When the sea slug makes a hole in the outer cell wall, it can suck out the cell contents and gather all of the algal plastids at once,’ he said.

"Accidentally Created Enzyme Can Break Down Plastics"

 A team of scientists at the University of Portsmouth and the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have engineered an enzyme capable of digesting some of the most commonly polluting plastics. This discovery could eventually be used to recycle millions of tonnes of plastics made of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, which currently persists for hundreds of years in the environment.  While analyzing the crystal structure of PETase, a recently discovered enzyme that digests PET, the team inadvertently engineered an enzyme even more capable of degrading the plastic than the one that already exists in nature. The team is now working on an even better version of the enzyme capable of breaking down plastic in a fraction of the time.  “Few could have predicted that since plastics became popular in the 1960s huge plastic waste patches would be found floating in oceans, or washed up on once pristine beaches all over the world," said Professor McGeehan, Director of the Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Portsmouth. “We can all play a significant part in dealing with the plastic problem, but the scientific community who ultimately created these ‘wonder-materials’, must now use all the technology at their disposal to develop real solutions.”

Read more about this fascinating story at: http://uopnews.port.ac.uk/2018/04/16/engineering-a-plastic-eating-enzyme/

Image: Electron microscope image of an engineered enzyme digesting PET plastic via Dennis Schroeder/NREL

"SCIENTISTS DEVELOP ARTIFICIAL WOMB TO KEEP BABY LAMBS ALIVE"

 Researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have developed the first-ever artificial womb capable of caring for extremely premature babies. This tech could potentially be adapted to save premature infants born weighing as little as a pound, who are hooked to ventilators and other machines inside incubators. This gentler solution could give the tiniest preemies a few more weeks to develop within a womb-like environment.  The scientists created a fluid-filled transparent container to mimic how fetuses float in the amniotic fluid within a mother's uterus and attached it to a mechanical placental that keeps blood oxygenated.  In early-stage animal testing, extremely premature lambs have been observed developing perfectly normal within the system for a period of three to four weeks. "We start with a tiny fetus that is pretty inert and spends most of its time sleeping. Over four weeks we see that fetus open its eyes, grow wool, breathe, swim," says Emily Partridge, MD, PhD, a CHOP research fellow and first author of the study.  However, the researchers emphasized that the current tech in work would not be intended to support preemies younger than today's limits of viability - in other words, the tech wouldn't work for growing any artificially-grown embryos.

In the realm of cyberpunk fiction, biomechanical beings have long captivated our imagination. From synthetic humans with the ability to blend in seamlessly among us to cybernetically enhanced individuals, these futuristic concepts challenge our understanding of humanity, technology, and the very essence of life. But as we look to the horizon, one can't help but wonder: how close are we to turning these fictional stories into our reality? Let's embark on a journey through some iconic cyberpunk references and juxtapose them with the current state of technology.

Ghost in the Shell (Anime & Film) Reference: Major Motoko Kusanagi, a synthetic "full-body prosthesis" augmented-cybernetic human, is a key figure in Masamune Shirow's world of "Ghost in the Shell". Her body is entirely artificial, while her "ghost" or soul remains distinctly human. Real Tech: Currently, we have prosthetic limbs that can be controlled by neural signals. While full-body prostheses seem distant, advancements in neural interfaces and robotics suggest we may witness rudimentary versions within a few decades.

Blade Runner (Film & Book) Reference: The Replicants, bioengineered beings designed by Tyrell Corporation, are almost indistinguishable from humans and are designed for various roles, from combat to entertainment. Real Tech: Bioprinting organs and tissues is an emerging field. While replicants, in their entirety, are far off, certain aspects like printing individual organs could become a reality within the next two decades.

Neuromancer (Book) Reference: William Gibson's seminal novel introduced the idea of "jacking into the matrix" and using neural interfaces to interact with a digital reality. Real Tech: With companies like Neuralink working on brain-computer interfaces, it might not be too long before we see early versions of this technology. Some experts believe that rudimentary neural interfaces could be available within the next 10-20 years.

Alita: Battle Angel (Film & Manga) Reference: Alita is a cyborg with a human brain but a completely mechanical body, showcasing advanced combat capabilities and agility. Real Tech: Advanced robotics and exoskeletons are making rapid progress. Full-body replacements like Alita remain in the realm of fiction, but components, such as limbs with enhanced strength or agility, could emerge in the next 30 years.

Akira (Anime & Manga) Reference: Neo-Tokyo, a city filled with technological marvels and cybernetic enhancements, shows a dystopian future where biomechanical beings play a significant role. Real Tech: The urban landscape depicted in Akira resonates with our current trajectory of smart cities. As for biomechanical beings, we're still in the early stages of merging man and machine seamlessly.

Conclusion: While the cyberpunk genre offers a fascinating, albeit sometimes dystopian, view of the future, it serves as an inspiration for innovators and scientists. Though we might not see full-body biomechanical beings anytime soon, the integration of biology and mechanics is an inevitable part of our future. Judging by the current pace of technology, it wouldn't be too audacious to claim that we might witness the inception of some of these concepts within our lifetime. The line between man and machine continues to blur, and with it, we edge closer to our cyberpunk future.