1. Helping Joints Re-grow Themselves – Biomedical engineers at Columbia University Medical Center have implanted a joint-shaped scaffold infused with a growth factor protein that allowed rabbits to begin using their injured forelimbs again in one month. At two months, the animals moved almost as well as similarly aged healthy rabbits. The study is the first to show that an entire joint can be repaired while being used. In the study, the researchers first imaged the damaged forelimb joint and then created a three-dimensional picture of it. They used a bioprinter to “print out” a precisely accurate, three-dimensional copy of the joint, but criss-crossed it with tiny interconnecting microchannels to serve as a scaffold for new bone and cartilage growth. Source: KurzweilAL

2. Intel Turns to Light to Transmit Data Inside Computers – Intel on Tuesday announced it had developed a prototype interconnect that uses light to speed up data transmission inside computers at the speed of 50 gigabits per second. Intel researchers said that the optical technology could ultimately replace the use of copper wires and electrons to carry data inside or around computers. An entire high-definition movie can be transmitted each second with the prototype, the researchers said.  Source: PCWorld