Gregg Braden. La ciencia de los milagros. Your source of daily updated funny pictures and gifs. - StumbleUpon. Biggest Scientific Breakthroughs of 2011 - StumbleUpon. A chemical that can turn your organs transparent. Scientist creates lifelike cells out of metal. Scientists trying to create artificial life generally work under the assumption that life must be carbon-based, but what if a living thing could be made from another element? One British researcher may have proven that theory, potentially rewriting the book of life.
Lee Cronin of the University of Glasgow has created lifelike cells from metal — a feat few believed feasible. The discovery opens the door to the possibility that there may be life forms in the universe not based on carbon, reports New Scientist. Even more remarkable, Cronin has hinted that the metal-based cells may be replicating themselves and evolving. "I am 100 percent positive that we can get evolution to work outside organic biology," he said. The high-functioning "cells" that Cronin has built are constructed from large polyoxometalates derived from a range of metal atoms, like tungsten. The metallic bubbles are certainly cell-like, but are they actually alive?
The early results have been encouraging. Stem Cell Basics: Introduction. Laboratory studies of stem cells enable scientists to learn about the cells’ essential properties and what makes them different from specialized cell types. Scientists are already using stem cells in the laboratory to screen new drugs and to develop model systems to study normal growth and identify the causes of birth defects. Imagining the Tenth Dimension part 1 of 2. The Naked Scientists Online, Science Podcast and Science Radio Show - StumbleUpon.