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brains

Scientists Grow Mini Brains With Eyes – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

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Brain With Eyes - Deposit Photos

Scientists recently grew mini brains with their own sets of “eyes,” according to a new study. Organoids are miniature versions of organs that scientists can grow in the lab from stem cells, or cells that can mature into any type of cell in the body. Previously, scientists have developed tiny beating hearts and tear ducts that could cry like humans do. Scientists have even grown mini brains that produce brain waves like those of preterm babies. Now, a group of scientists has grown mini brains that have something their real counterparts do not: a set of eye-like structures called “optic … Read more

STUDY: Blind People Can “See” Letters Drawn on their Brains With Electricity

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brain - pixabay

Scientists sent patterns of electricity coursing across people’s brains, coaxing their brains to see letters that weren’t there. The experiment worked in both sighted people and blind participants who had lost their sight in adulthood, according to the study, published today (May 14) in the journal Cell. Although this technology remains in its early days, implanted devices could potentially be used in the future to stimulate the brain and somewhat restore people’s vision. Known as visual prosthetics, the implants were placed on the visual cortex and then stimulated in a pattern to “trace” out shapes that the participants could then … Read more

SCIENCE: Decapitated Worms Can Regrow Their Brains

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worm - pixabay

For some worm species, decapitation is no big deal — they just grow a new head. But far from this superpower being an ancient skill, a recent study suggests that this ability is a relatively recent adaptation, at least evolutionarily speaking. Regeneration is unusual in animals, but the species that can do it are sprinkled throughout the animal kingdom, and include sea stars, hydras, fish, frogs, salamanders and spiders, as well as worms. Regrowing body parts was long thought to be an ancient trait, with diverse animals tracing the ability to a distant shared ancestor that likely emerged hundreds of … Read more

SCIENCE: Scientists Find Young Cells in Old Brains

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neurons - pixabay

Your brain keeps making new nerve cells, even as you get older. That’s a big deal. For decades, researchers believed that aging brains stop making new cells. But recent research has offered strong evidence to the contrary, and a new paper published today (April 5) in the journal Cell Stem Cell tries to put the notion to bed entirely. Aging brains, the researchers showed, produce just as many new cells as younger brains do. “When I went to medical school, they used to teach us that the brain stops making new cells,” said lead study author Dr. Maura Boldrini, a … Read more