Video about advances in biotechnology and a video about the real appearance of the dodo from de-extinction series of videos of Colossal Biosciences youtube channel

 

Comment: In this video a group of researchers talks about development of artificial eggs, it hasn't been peer-reviewed yet, but birds did successfully hatch.  It is part of the technology that they are developing to help in de-extinction of lost bird species, some of which might have eggs far bigger than those seen by any existing bird.

Comment: The video traces back to the artist who actually saw a dead preserved dodo, with talks with an art historian, and how the popularized appearance of the dodo has been compromised throughout the historical record.  How other artists produced more accurate images with actual experience with the live bird. And tells of the de-extinction initiative to try and bring it back. It's a very entertaining and educational video.

Anti-aging therapies targeting senescent cells: Facts and fiction

It's an exciting time to be an elderly mouse. Researchers believe that by removing senescent cells (cells with a persistent damage response), which naturally accumulate with age, senior rodents can regrow hair, run faster, and improve organ function. This strategy may bring us one step closer to the 'fountain of youth,' but it's important to be cautious and not hype, says a researcher of aging. -from sciencedaily, link to full article at source

artificial heart article | medicine tech article

The artificial heart became a media sensation in the 1980s as it both raised hopes and spread controversy. Today, its impact on medical science is still playing out in surprising ways.-full news article at nytimes link

Comment:  Procedures to speed up the surgery need to be developed, such that in case of defibrillator failure to restart the heart, death does not result in the hospital.

tech news | biotech news| paralyzed monkey restored thanks to implant | medical news | med news | 2016

http://gizmodo.com/brain-implant-allowhttp://gizmodo.com/brain-implant-allows-paralyzed-monkey-to-walk-again-1788716230s-paralyzed-monkey-to-walk-again-1788716230

Scientists Create Fully Functional Eggs from Skin Cells | biotech news | reproduction

Using skin cells extracted from mice, researchers in Japan have produced fully functional egg cells that were used to produce healthy mouse pups. Should the method work in humans, it could introduce powerful new ways of treating infertility—and even allow same-sex couples to produce biological offspring.-source gizmodo link

Very interesting news from gizmodo.  Also while it may require genetic screening and probably modification to fix any genetic mistakes that may become more common, it may also hypothetically allow the same lone individual to produce offspring.

In an older article it was seen that sperm cells were also produced from stem cells in other animals.

biotech news from past | better regeneration | genetics

The absence of a single gene, called p21, confers a healing potential in mice long thought to be reserved only for creatures like flatworms, sponges, and some species of salamander: regeneration. Researchers demonstrate that mice that lack the gene can regenerate lost or damaged tissue, suggesting that such an ability may be granted to mammals by blocking the effects of p21.-sciencedaily 2010 source