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Scientists build human stem cells into a beating heart


Scientists build human stem cells into a beating heart



Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania have used human stem cells to build a heart that beats.


Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine may have just moved us one step further away from relying on donor organs and towards growing replacements in the lab. Using human stem cells, a team led by senior investigator Dr Lei Yang has managed to create a beating heart.

The stem cells were created from fibroblast cells harvested from a human skin biopsy. These were reverse engineered into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), which were treated with growth factors in order to stimulate their development into multipotent cardiovascular progenitor cells (MCPs) — that is, cells that can differentiate into the three kinds of cells that make up the heart.

The second stage was taking a mouse heart and stripping out all of its cells, leaving just a scaffolding — a process that takes about 10 hours. This scaffold was then seeded with the MCPs.
"Nobody has tried using these MCPs for heart regeneration before," said Dr Yang. "It turns out that the heart's extracellular matrix — the material that is the substrate of heart scaffold — can send signals to guide the MCPs into becoming the specialised cells that are needed for proper heart function."
A few weeks later, the mouse heart scaffolding had regrown into a new heart with human cells, and started beating again at a rate of 40 to 50 beats per minute. This is too slow and the beat too weak to pump blood. The heart's electrical conduction system also cannot effectively speed up or slow down the heart rate. More work is required in order to build a heart that can function properly.
"One of our next goals is to see if it's feasible to make a patch of human heart muscle," he added. "We could use patches to replace a region damaged by a heart attack. That might be easier to achieve because it won't require as many cells as a whole human-sized organ would."
Another benefit of the new technique is that it could potentially use a patient's own cells to build tissue, greatly reducing the chance of rejection.

Stem Cell Breakthrough: Human Heart Cells 




                                                   via www.cnet.com

Luxury necessities: Best new travel accessories


Luxury necessities: Best new travel accessories


These latest luxury necessities will get you comfortable and prepared for your next flight.

Omega Men’s Seamaster Professional Diver ($4,180)


Omega has been James Bond’s watch for the last two decades, and when Daniel Craig rebooted the franchise in 2006 with “Casino Royale,” it was with the Seamaster on his wrist.
If it’s good enough for the ultimate international spy, it’s good enough for a sales trip to Ypsilanti.




Brunello Cucinelli Leather and Flannel Overnight Bag ($2,190)


Just because you’re making a last-minute trip doesn’t mean you can’t rush off in style.
Nearly every Cucinelli 2013 item seems to be made with the fashion-forward adventurer in mind.






Sennheiser MM 450-X Travel ($450)

Noise cancellation, premium sound quality and no cords to tangle -- that’s pretty standard stuff for headphones these days.
These ones also come with Bluetooth capability that allows you to take calls and the TalkThrough feature lets you have a conversation with the flight attendant without doffing your cans.
Just make sure the guy next to you doesn’t catch on to that function.



Leica X2 ($1,995)

This beauty lets you capture just how breathtaking your surroundings are without forcing to you to lug a large, scoliotic camera around your neck.
Designed to look like the machine your dad toted around on family road trips, this 12-ounce, pocket-sized shooter snaps images the old man couldn’t have dreamed of.




Globe-Trotter Centenary Collection Luggage ($723-1807)

Globe-Trotter has been an elite name in luggage since  people began trotting around the globe for pleasure. They’ve carried the necessities of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Winston Churchill.
Handmade with Victorian machinery, these timeless suitcases will stay in the family for generations and get cooler with wear.



Alden 405 Indy Boot ($500)

If you’re planning on adventure, you might seek fashion inspiration from another pop hero.
Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones Jr. laced up his handcrafted, impossibly comfortable Alden 405 boots whenever he left campus to track down Nazis and archeological wonders.





Chassis Double Zip Travel Companion ($655)

Stashing your phone, cards, cash and passport in a flashy Louis Vuitton travel wallet is a good way to get your most important items snatched up. This subtle yet distinguished accessory provides an alternative.







Swarovski 10x32mm EL SwaroVision Binoculars ($2,239)

If you’re going to be seeing the best sights a country has to offer, you’ll want the best sight you can afford.
The SwaroVision glasses come with the highest quality optical performance you’ll find in a binocular that comes in a size you won’t mind hauling around.





Ralph Lauren Folding Sunglasses ($425)

These timeless aviator tortoise-shell sunglasses go with a business suit or swimsuit.
And you’ll have no problem taking them with you wherever you go since they easily fit in almost any pocket.





Microsoft Windows 8 Surface Pro tablet computer ($900)

Travel with a tablet and a laptop?
Don’t be ridiculous -- you can bring a computer that functions as both.
Connect a keyboard to the tablet and it functions as a laptop -- not just a tablet with a keyboard.



Eddie Bauer Airstream ($75,495)

Everything from the cabinetry to the goose-down pillows in this aluminum fortress on wheels was designed for travelers for whom camping means not having to give up a single convenience.
There’s enough room in front to sleep four comfortably, and the rear storage will fit a couple kayaks and loads of luggage.

Africa's Cheapest car Mobius assembled in Kenya

The world’s cheapest SUV comes from Kenya- Mobius



If we talk about fuel-efficient vehicles, the first thing that comes to mind are the citycar or compact cars. If we think THE cheapest car, Tata Nano is the reference. But we have seldom heard of the world’s most economical SUV, or intended for that purpose.
That is why it is striking Two Mobius, an SUV developed by the Kenyan company Mobius. This vehicle is designed to give you the possibility to transport the inhabitants of Africa, especially those living in rural and inaccessible. For that have designed this SUV, rough looking, but is able to pass through areas where other much more expensive vehicles that are supposed to serve the same function can not.
Yes, it is the cheapest, but how much are we talking about? U.S. $ 6000, or just about three million U.S. dollars. For that amount of money you get a car with 36 cm of ground clearance, protection at the bottom, but a cubic appearance, he spits on aerodynamics, whose only comfort is to have seats, as there is no air conditioning, no even with glasses. Under the hood is not known with certainty it brings, but for reference, the company’s previous vehicle, the Mobius One was carrying a 2 liter Toyota source

Kanye West Drops $2 Mil on Armored Vehicles for Kim K and Baby North

Kanye West Drops $2 Mil on Armored Vehicles      for Kim K and Baby North
 Another day, another time that Kanye West does something absolutely ridiculous. It’s almost like clockwork. Today Yeezus is in the news because he’s decided to splash out some small change – just $2 million, no big deal – on two state of the art armoured SUVs. But why exactly would he even need these and just what the hell are they even?
The SUVs are made by some company called Dartz over in Latvia and this particular model is called the Prombron and it’s based on the Mercedes G Class apparently, although I’m not really a car guy so I can’t really confirm or deny if that’s true. I guess Dartz mainly sell these cars to African dictators and ridiculous celebrities like Kanye West, so there’s clearly a massive market for these things and they seem to be tapping into it pretty well.
These badboys can be bought for as little as $400,000 but there are a bunch of optional extras that you can stick on them, which include ‘fake whale penis leather (what?!?)’ and ‘jewel encrusted snake ornaments.’ Both of these sound really cool but I’m not sure if they’re worth whatever the hell this stupid company is charging for them though. I guess when you’re a baller like Kanye though it ain’t nothing at all to get some fake whale penis leather installed.
Kanye also paid extra to have the vehicles both landmine and rocket launcher protected. I don’t know how anything can even be rocket launcher and landmine protected but that’s a pretty cool feature to have, albeit completely unnecessary when these vehicles are just going to be driving around LA all the time. I mean when the hell are there ever any landmines or rocket launchers in LA except in 24?
Here’s a couple of pictures of the awesome Dartz Prombron Iron Diamond that Kanye is getting made up for himself. I really like the one with the hot babe standing in front of it – that’s some sick marketing from Dartz right there, you know that, and I also like the one that looks like it’s driving around a regular neighbourhood, as that’s probably how stupid it is gonna look when Kanye is driving it around LA in a couple of months:
The reason that Kanye is buying these SUVs though is clear, at least in his own head – he needs to protect his family and in particular new born baby North West. Apparently Kanye’s whole life view has changed since the birth of his daughter so it shouldn’t really be any surprise that he’s dropping a cool couple of mil on these state of the art SUVs which he has dubbed ‘the North West Protection Mobiles.’ Kanye is allegedly well aware of the weirdos and psychopaths that his family attract due to their high profile and is leaving NOTHING to chance over their safety, hence commissioning these badboys to get sent over from Latvia.
Slightly too excessive? Probably not really considering it’s Kanye West we’re talking about, I’m surprised he hasn’t bought an island for his family to live on and surrounded it with a ten foot wall that you have to pass through three checkpoints to get into and then know some super secret password. That really wouldn’t have surprised me because Kanye West is pretty much nuts/out of control.
Anyway, the vehicles are scheduled to arrive sometime in October before Kanye starts his US tour so if you happen to be around LA then make sure you look out for them. I mean it’s not like they’re inconspicuous or anything, which will probably succeed in actually ATTRACTING the weirdoes and psychopaths more than if Kanye and his family drove around in a normal car. Still, even though they might be able to find Kanye and his family, there’s absolutely no way they’ll be able to do anything because you know that shit is impenetrable yo. Bring your rocket launcher fool, see if Kany West gives a shit.

Chinese Professor Builds Awesome Mountaintop Villa On Top Of Tower Block


Chinese Professor Builds Awesome Mountaintop Villa On Top Of Tower Block



I was on a speedboat in Greece once and remember seeing this one little island with just one house on it. I thought my life would never be complete unless I had my own personal house on my own personal island. Well, fuck the house and fuck the island. Flats with mountains on top of them are what’s hot now. Just look at this thing – luxury and nature all in one


The faux-mountaintop covers 1,000 square metres and hasn’t exactly gone down a storm with his neighbours underneath. They’ve complained about leaks and cracks in their homes and worry the huge structure could make the entire block collapse, but still – it’s a visual and conceptual 10 out of 10.
Professor Zhang Lin, you’ve made it. Enjoy your mountaintop villa retirement.
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