Re: Harnessing the power of nature

On Thu, 09 Jan 2025 10:35:24 +0000, the following appeared
in talk.origins, posted by Martin Harran
<martinharran@gmail.com>:

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/the-holy-grail-of-heart-health-a-valve-that-grows-inside-you-pjxvrq33l
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Avoid paywall: https://archive.is/aPuXP
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I found this article in last weekend's Sunday Times fascinating. It's
about a breakthrough in creating a 'growing heart valve' i.e. a
replacement valve that grows with the body. A major issue with
children suffering congenital heart disease is that existing valves
have to be replaced every few years as their bodies grow. This
technique involves a temporary valve made of microscopic fibres which
acts as a scaffold that infuses with the body's cells. The scaffold
gradually dissolves leaving a self-grown living valve made of the
patient's own tissue.
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This bit particularly caught my attention:
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"To mimic nature, the fibres are of different widths and have specific
spaces between them which attract cells; this creates an environment
where they thrive. After settling into these spaces, cells grow and
trigger the development of the different cell types needed to make the
heart valve work.
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A study of the device in sheep, published a year ago in the journal
Nature Communications Biology, revealed that within four weeks there
were more than 20 different types of cell - including nerve and fatty
tissue cells - functioning in the exact places they would be in a
natural heart valve."
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Fascinating; thanks!

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A poster here seems to have trouble accepting how powerful and
versatile natural forces can be; this article seems to me just one
example of how powerful and versatile they actually can be.

--

Bob C.

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
 the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

- Isaac Asimov