Scientists Successfully Clone First Human Embryo from Adult Cells

Scientists have successfully cloned the first human embryo from adult cells, and this breakthrough could pave the way to personalized organ transplants as well as other regenerative treatments based on stem cells that can be grown into any type of human tissue.

Last year, the world's first cloned human embryo was created when a team of scientists used cells from a fetus and an 8-month-old infant. This new experiment involved making a clone embryo from cells taken from adult men, ages 35 and 75, by extracting the nucleus out of a cell and placing it in a donor egg without a nucleus.

According to Inhabitat, "Currently, stem cells can only be extracted from embryos leftover from in vitro fertilization. The discovery could be used for future organ transplants but it's still far from leading to human cloning. Instead, the new cell cloning technology could be the basis of growing personalized stem cells. Although exciting, the new breakthrough revisits the moral implications and ethical dilemmas related to cloning."

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Moscow Is Building Its First New Park In 50 Years

Moscow has chosen a design for its first new public park in half a century. Zaryadye Park will sit on a 13-acre site that’s been host to some colourful history: The homes of 16th century aristocrats, 18th century peasants, a Stalin-ordered redevelopment, a failed plan to build the city’s tallest skyscraper, and finally, the world’s largest hotel — demolished in 2006.


Next up, it’ll host a park designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the New York architects of the super-successful High Line in Manhattan. According to DS+R, the park will be made up of four “microclimates”, each representing a different Russian landscape — tundra, steppe, forest and marsh. It’ll also include some lookout points, like the one you see above, similar to those built along the High Line.

It’s unclear how these microclimates are actually going to be built — after all, Moscow isn’t an ideal spot to build what amounts to an artificial nature reserve — but so far, the architects cite “temperature regulation, wind control and natural light stimulation”. More details are sure to come over the next few months.
It was actually Putin who proposed the park, originally, back in 2012 — it seems that even Russia can’t resist the lure of High Line-style urban renewal.

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The world's first solar-powered family car that can travel 420 miles on a sunny day and creates TWICE as much energy as it uses

A breakthrough in sustainable energy and car design has enabled a team of engineers to build the world's first solar powered family car.
The Dutch team have created the world's first 'energy positive' car, which means it produces more energy than it uses.
It also has enough room to seat a family of four.

A breakthrough in sustainable energy and car design has enabled a team of engineers to build the world's first solar powered family car

Using large solar panels that are placed on the roof of the car, 'Stella' can travel 250 miles without sunshine and on a sunny day, when fully charged, it can drive up to 420 miles.
This is nearly twice as far as a standard electric car can travel before it needs to be charged up.
Made with the latest in lightweight materials, such as high grade aluminium and carbon fibre, the car weighs a mere 380kg, 1120kg lighter than the average electrical car.
Team Manager, Lex Hoefsloot, at Eindhoven University of Technology, said: ‘Because the car is standing still 90 per cent of the time in front of your house or your office, we found out that in 10 out of the 12 months of the year, the car provided more energy than it uses. 

The Dutch team have created the world's first 'energy positive' car, which means it produces more energy than it uses. It can also seat a family of four

Using large solar panels that are placed on the roof of the car, 'Stella' can travel 250 miles without sunshine and on a sunny day, when fully charged, it can drive up to 420 miles

‘The car also produces twice the amount of energy needed to drive normal distances and soon our car will be granted a licence plate by the Dutch authorities.
‘We strongly believe that the car of the future is much lighter, aerodynamic and more efficient.
‘Solar panels are the solution for a sustainable future, and they can increase the range of your car.

Made with the latest in lightweight materials, such as high grade aluminium and carbon fibre, the car weighs a mere 380kg, 1120kg lighter than the average electrical car

The car produces twice the amount of energy needed to drive normal distances and will soon be granted a licence plate in The Netherlands

‘The car is still expensive because it is a prototype and it is hand-made, but when the production is scaled up, the car could be just as affordable as a normal family car.
‘The solar cells on the roof of the car cost only £2,600.
‘Our future designs will focus on making the car even more comfortable, practical and energy efficient, so in the end people have the feeling that they could buy a similar car at a dealership.’

The lead engineer, Lex Hoefsloot, said: 'Solar panels are the solution for a sustainable future, and they can increase the range of your car'

The car is still expensive because it is a prototype and it is hand-made, but when the production is scaled up, the car could be as affordable as a normal family car

The solar cells on the roof of the car cost only £2,600

The engineers said: 'Our future designs will focus on making the car even more comfortable, practical and energy efficient'

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The First Lab-Grown Hamburger Is Served

Beef cells cultured without killing the animal.

Since 2008, Dr. Mark Post has been working on growing edible meat in a laboratory. Today, at an event in London, the first in-vitro hamburger has been served.
Muscle stem cells were taken from a cow's shoulder in a gentle biopsy and grown in serum, with micro-exercise so they wouldn't be flabby. 20,000 cells were then assembled into a burger, bound with bread crumbs and egg (but curiously no salt), colored with beet juice and saffron, and presented to the public. The event was also broadcast on Culturedbeef.net.
Dr. Post, a cardiovascular biologist from Maastricht University, brought his raw burger out, in a petri dish under a cloche. On a television set, chef Richard McGeown, opining that it looked a little paler than normal, cooked it in butter and oil before a hungry audience, then served it to two lucky volunteers: Austrian food futurist Hanni Rützler, and Josh Schonwald, author of The Taste of Tomorrow.
Hanni: "There is quite some intense taste. It is close to meat; it is not that juicy. I missed salt and pepper. More than I expected of the the structure, it's not falling apart."
Josh: "The texture, the mouthfeel, has a feel like meat. The absence is the fat. It's a leanness. But the bite feels like a conventional hamburger."
The technology to grow fat cells is still lacking -- Schonfeld characterized the texture as like "an animal protein cake" -- but that is the next step for the team. "I think it's a very good start," said Dr. Post. "This was mostly to prove that we can make it."

The following challenge will be to scale up the process. Dr. Post currently estimates that it will take 10 to 20 years before cultured meat can be mass-produced. For the last few years, the project has been funded by an anonymous benefactor who, Dr. Post revealed today, is Sergey Brin.
Dr. Post answered some other questions from the audience.
Can you make a steak? In theory. "We are currently focusing on minced meat products, using shorter fibers, because there is a limitation on the diffusion distance of oxygen and nutrients into the center of the tissue."
Can they use this technology to make burgers from less common animals? Penguins? "I don't like the smell of penguins, but I guess we can. You can do it with any sort of satellite cell from an animal."
The leftovers were taken home for Dr. Post's children.

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