Regenerative

Lizards can regrow their tails, but the new tail isn't quite perfect. Scientists have now used stem cell therapy to let lizards grow better tails – bones, nerves and all – in an advance that could have implications for better wound healing in humans.

Researchers at Salk Institute have uncovered a mechanism by which stem cells can help regenerate muscles. The discovery could provide a new drug target for repairing muscles after injury or rebuilding muscle mass lost during the normal aging process.

Newts do it. Lizards do it. Even educated axolotls do it. Regenerating limbs isn’t something many animals can do, but now there’s a surprising new addition to the list – alligators. A study has shown that alligators can regrow part of a lost tail.

​Tapping into the machinery of a cell and rewiring it to take on another identity is an exciting capability that scientists are just beginning to explore.​ Now researchers at the Salk Institute report another groundbreaking advance, converting open wounds into healthy skin.

A team of researchers has uncovered a new approach to grow synthetic mineralized materials. This exciting breakthrough points to a future of regenerative medicine where doctors could mimic the regrowth of hard tissues including dental enamel and bone.

​A new study has demonstrated an exciting new gene therapy treatment that stimulates inner ear stem cells into becoming auditory neurons. The technique could potentially reverse hearing loss in many people, but the researchers urge caution as there could be major side effects.

Like many lizards, geckos can detach their tail in order to evade a predator, then regrow it complete with the spinal cord. Now, a scientist has discovered how they go about doing it. His findings could lead to improved treatment of spinal cord injuries in humans.

​One of the big challenges doctors face after patients suffer debilitating heart attacks is finding a way to repair the damage caused to the organ. To address this, a research team has developed a regenerative tissue patch​ that can be injected within the body without the need for invasive surgery.

EasyJet has announced plans to test a hybrid hydrogen fuel system. The concept was conceived by students at Cranfield University and could save around 50,000 tonnes (55,115 tons) of fuel a year, as well as the associated CO2 emissions. It would recover energy from braking when a plane lands.​

The latest promising advance in efforts to treat damaged heart tissue resulting from a heart attack comes from a team of researchers who have developed a simple protein patch capable of restoring animal hearts almost to normal function.

Engineers at Penn State University have produced an ammonia-based battery that not only captures and converts waste heat into electricity economically and efficiently, but is also claimed to do so at a greater power capacity than other similar systems.

Lithium-ion batteries are an industry standard for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, and Ford is convinced that they will be useful in cars without electric drive motors, too. The automaker is working with Samsung to research a dual-battery system that increases gas vehicle fuel economy.