Synthetic Life? Silicone And Cardiac Tissue Becomes Medusoid - Swimming 'Jellyfish'
Silicone and living cardiac muscle cells have been combined to form a freely swimming "jellyfish", proof of concept for reverse engineering a variety of muscular organs and simple life forms. It also suggests a broader definition of what counts as synthetic life.Study co-author Kevin Kit Parker previously demonstrated bioengineered constructs that can grip, pump, and even walk. He says the inspiration to mimic a jellyfish came out of frustration with the state of the cardiac field. Similar to the way a human heart moves blood throughout the body, jellyfish propel themselves through the water by pumping. In figuring out how to take apart and then rebuild the primary motor function of a jellyfish, the goal was to figure out how such pumps really worked. read more