Assembled my "def fell off the truck" bookcase this week. It's a lot like a Christmas tree. Full of excitement and memories, just the right size, and all the damaged bits face the wall. Doesn't seem to like being watered though...

-Steve

Join The Convo for weekly briefings on the coolest STEM news!

When Pigs Eye

Pigs may save your vision one day. Corneal implants made of Sus-skin collagen are cheaper and more effective than their human-sourced counterparts.

• 20 volunteers regained vision within 2 years of a trial

• Implant leaves existing cornea intact (human transplants require removal)

• Can be stored for 2 years vs. human corneas' 2 weeks

Corneal transplants can already restore vision, but human donors are hard to come by. After larger clinical trials, researchers are optimistic this will bring affordable vision restoration to people around the world.

No, your eyes won’t snort when you laugh

Aquanaut

NASA’s latest robot explores wonders of the unknown, Earth’s oceans. Aquanaut's AI provides awareness of its surroundings, eliminating the need of a tether to make up for communication lag.

• Roughly the size of a sports-car

• Looks like a torpedo while travelling

• Transforms into inspection-mode with 2 arms at destination

While most deep-sea robots tether to a support vessel, Aquanaut saves up to $100k per day by travelling solo. It will also support inspection and maintenance for oceanic industries like wind turbines and aquaculture. One step closer to actual Transformers!

Automating Aquaman’s job

Necrogenomics

Coming to an outback near you: thylacines (aka Tasmanian tigers). Colossal, the company trying to revive mammoths, set its sights on the recently extinct marsupial.

• Colossal and University of Melbourne are collaborating on TIGRR

• TIGRR: Thylacine Integrated Genomic Restoration Research

• Compared to mammoths, thylacine samples are relatively abundant

IF researchers generate embryos via stem cell editing, the rest is “simple”. Compared to mammals, marsupials are born earlier in development, with lower risk. Thylacines could be raised in pouches of foster-parents, or very caring newsletter writers.

Imagine Tigger with an Australian accent

Clickables

• Ever wonder what dolphin selfies look like?

• 155mph flying chair >>> magic carpet

• Dodge’s chargeable Charger

• New species of isopod, who dis?

• Check out 18 award-winning nature photos

st3v on site

Hanging w/Aquanaut

Apparently they don't make flippers in wheel sizes.

Thank you for reading!

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