Scientists create an artificial jellyfish using technology that could one day revolutionise human me - Polidicks

[quote]A man-made jellyfish that 'swims' using pulsating rat heart cells has been created by scientists. The team behind the prototype say the technology could one day revolutionise human medicine. The Medusoid is made of transparent elastic silicone and measures several centimetres across. Researchers at the [URL="http://www.caltech.edu/"][B]California Institute of Technology[/B][/URL] printed the muscle structure of a jellyfish - the most primitive multi-organ animal - onto the silicone. When protein molecules from rat hearts were added to the material, the printed structure guided its growth and organisation. Even when removed from the heart, individual heart cells contract in response to an electric current. So, when scientists passed five-volt electric pulses through the Medusoid, it caused their creation to swim through the water. Experts hope to create future versions that are able to respond to their environment, and even seek energy or food. The printing techniques could one day be used to create organic pacemakers or advanced bio-engineered organs for humans, the scientists said. Team member Professor John Dabiri said: "We're re-imagining how much we can do in terms of synthetic biology. "I was surprised that with relatively few components - a silicone base and cells that we arranged - we were able to reproduce some pretty complex swimming and feeding behaviours that you see in biological jellyfish." PhD student Janna Nawroth said: "A big goal of our study was to advance tissue engineering. "In many ways, it is still a very qualitative art, with people trying to copy a tissue or organ just based on what they think is important or what they see as the major components - without necessarily understanding if those components are relevant to the desired function or without analysing first how different materials could be used." The research has been published in the [B][URL="http://www.nature.com/nbt/index.html"]Nature Biotechnology[/URL][/B] journal[/quote] [URL]http://news.sky.com/story/963554/jellyfish-propelled-by-rat-heart-cells[/URL]

That's pretty fucking cool.

Jellyfish scare the shit out of me, but I like the way this sounds.

how the fuck do jellyfish work. They have like, 2 organs, no brains, heart, nothing. [I]Fucking magic.[/I]

[QUOTE=Doneeh;36886376]Jellyfish scare the shit out of me, but I like the way this sounds.[/QUOTE] really? [quote]using pulsating rat heart cells[/quote] reeeaaaally?

[quote]using pulsating rat heart cells[/quote] Jesus Christ how absolutely horrifying.

[QUOTE=Doneeh;36886376]Jellyfish scare the shit out of me, but I like the way this sounds.[/QUOTE] What are you talking about jellyfish aren't scary at all. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8isTBU3gxB0[/media]

So we got organ printers we got 3D printers we will have battery printers once Carbon Nano Tubes actually rise in relevance ...meanwhile, in reality, my printer only causes rage because cartridges cost ridiculous amounts of money and the printer always tries to fool me into buying brand products before it's really empty. :I

[QUOTE=Boxbot219;36886714]What are you talking about jellyfish aren't scary at all. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8isTBU3gxB0[/media][/QUOTE] NOPE NOPE NOPE

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;36887849]I was terrified of that scene when I first saw that film.[/QUOTE] I'm terrified of that video quality. EDIT Well crap. That was a mix of "Jesus christ how horrifying" and "But Jellyfish can't do that". Can they..?

Whenever bioengineering like this gets brought up I always end up thinking about the HL2 Combine synths (semi-biological machines) such as the striders.

Welp, I think we've officially hit it. [b][h2]*~#THE FUTURE#~*[/h2][/b]

[QUOTE=AlphaWeapon;36887914]I'm terrified of that video quality. EDIT Well crap. That was a mix of "Jesus christ how horrifying" and "But Jellyfish can't do that". Can they..?[/QUOTE] Don't worry, only jellyfish that manifest from your darkest fears can do that.

[QUOTE=ewitwins;36888423]Welp, I think we've officially hit it. [b][h2]*~#THE FUTURE#~*[/h2][/b][/QUOTE] Flying cars for everyone, personal robots in every home, etc etc. (Are the things we are missing)

[QUOTE=ewitwins;36888423]Welp, I think we've officially hit it. [b][h2]*~#THE FUTURE#~*[/h2][/b][/QUOTE] We hit the future in 2009 we're only just now realizing it

[QUOTE=Gnomical;36889133]Flying cars for everyone, personal robots in every home, etc etc. (Are the things we are missing)[/QUOTE] flying robotic jellyfish are the things we are missing

[QUOTE=ewitwins;36888423]Welp, I think we've officially hit it. [b][h2]*~#THE FUTURE#~*[/h2][/b][/QUOTE] It's not THE FUTURE until things like this stop being out of reach of anyone except researchers and the ultra-rich.

toilet pants

[QUOTE=MightyMax;36886450]how the fuck do jellyfish work. They have like, 2 organs, no brains, heart, nothing. [I]Fucking magic.[/I][/QUOTE] And some of them can live for thousands of years if nothing out of the ordinary happens to them. (Actually, so far only one species, and it can potentially be immortal due to its ability to transform from medusa back to its polyp stage, scientific name Turritopsis dohrni)

[QUOTE=ewitwins;36888423]Welp, I think we've officially hit it. [b][h2]*~#THE FUTURE#~*[/h2][/b][/QUOTE] the future feels kind of like the same. [editline]:([/editline] movies lied to me :c

[QUOTE=Boxbot219;36886714]What are you talking about jellyfish aren't scary at all. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8isTBU3gxB0[/media][/QUOTE] I don't quite understand what just happened, did they kill that guy?

that was a black chick you gays

a jellyfish synth

Medusoid. 90's sci-fi flick medicine names seem to be a reality after all.

[QUOTE=-nesto-;36889324]flying robotic jellyfish are the things we are missing[/QUOTE] I'll take 20.

Soon we'll be able to scan our pets and make a backup so if/when they die you can print out an exact replica and it'll be exactly the same pet as it was when it was scanned. Pirating living things You wouldn't download a Bieber [sp]I would[/sp]

[QUOTE=Doneeh;36886376]Jellyfish scare the shit out of me, but I like the way this sounds.[/QUOTE] how does this make you feel? [IMG]http://www.pinktentacle.com/images/echizen_kurage_07.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Uber|nooB;36886471]really? [/QUOTE] The white ones are cool (you can paddle over schools of thousands of them) but when you go canoeing over a 3 foot wide/tall red jellyfish it's a bit unnerving. The thought of capsizing into one scares me :[

but is it life?

If it's self replicating, then it's life.