Surprising Science — March 31, 2010

Jaw Dropper

Columbia University professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic says her team of researchers has grown a human jaw bone using stem cells taken from bone marrow.

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A weekly collection of thought-provoking articles on tech, innovation, and long-term investing from Nightview Capital’s Eric Markowitz.

Columbia University biomedical engineering professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic says that her team of researchers has grown a human jaw bone using stem cells taken from bone marrow. She says that the availability of personalized bone grafts created from a patient’s stem cells could revolutionize the way we treat bone disorders that can cause joints to deteriorate. Her technique in creating the jawbone was inspired by the body’s own processes.

Collage of classical art suggesting a theme related to somatic markers.

Business

How “somatic markers” can transform your decision-making

Ditch the old brain vs. heart assumptions, and instead think about a heart-led brain.

A black and white image of a bunch of spheres, symbolizing the multiverse concept discussed by scientists.

Starts With A Bang

How logic and reasoning can fail as scientific tools

In logic, ‘reductio ad absurdum’ shows how flawed arguments fall apart. Our absurd Universe, however, often defies our intuitive reasoning.

A wooden sign indicating "assisted migration rep 2" in a pine forest under a clear blue sky.

Life

Moving trees north to save the forests

As the world warms, trees in forests such as those in Minnesota will no longer be adapted to their local climates. That’s where assisted migration comes in.

Historical map illustration depicting a planned city layout with a circular central area and radiating streets.

Strange Maps

Ohio’s Circleville ditched the grid system. Then it got squared.

A small Ohio town tried to escape America’s addiction to rectangular grids. It didn’t last long.

Bullet Cluster separation mass gravity x-ray lensing

Starts With A Bang

Flagship NASA space telescope faces a penny-pinching death

NASA’s only flagship X-ray telescope ever, Chandra, still works and has no planned successor. So why does the President want to kill it?

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

Bat Navigation

Recent evidence indicates that bats have sensitivity to the geomagnetic field, and use it to navigate. When they are traveling miles from home at night they seem to guide their flight, at least in part, by using the magnetic field around them.