WEIRD STUFF

Scientists grow teeth in lab

Human teeth have been grown in a laboratory for the first time. A new study at King's College London believes that the breakthrough could lead to people regrowing lost teeth in the future in an alternative to fillings and dental implants.

Experts developed a material that mimics the environment needed for tooth development, enabling cells to send signals and begin forming a tooth.

The ability to regenerate teeth would be a significant leap forward for dentistry, as humans only have a single set of gnashers from adulthood whereas some animals have the ability to grow teeth back.

Xuechen Zhang, a researcher at the university, said: "Fillings aren't the best solution for repairing teeth. Over time, they will weaken tooth structure, have a limited lifespan, and can lead to further decay or sensitivity.

"Implants require invasive surgery and a good combination of implants and alveolar bone. Both solutions are artificial and don't fully restore natural tooth function, potentially leading to long-term complications.

"Lab-grown teeth would naturally regenerate, integrating into the jaw as real teeth. They would be stronger, longer lasting, and free from rejection risks, offering a more durable and biologically compatible solution than fillings or implants."

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Google AI may decode Dolphin language

Google has unveiled a new artificial intelligence model that could revolutionize how scientists understand dolphin communication.

In collaboration with Georgia Tech and the Wild Dolphin Project (WDP), Google developed DolphinGemma, a machine-learning tool designed to learn the structure of dolphin vocalizations and generate dolphin-like sound sequences.

Using Google's SoundStream tokeniser and powered by the same technology behind its Gemini AI, DolphinGemma can analyse dolphin sounds - such as whistles, clicks, and squawks--and run directly on Pixel smartphones used in the field.

The project aims to uncover the structure and potential meaning within dolphin vocal patterns. In parallel, WDP and Georgia Tech are working on another system called CHAT (Cetacean Hearing Augmentation Telemetry), intended to help build a shared human-dolphin "vocabulary."

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Night snacking raises heart risk

Eating only during the daytime could help reduce the cardiovascular risks faced by night shift workers, new research has found.

Scientists from the University of Southampton and Mass General Brigham discovered that food timing plays a key role in managing health when working irregular hours.

In a controlled two-week study involving 20 healthy participants, researchers simulated shift work by eliminating access to natural light or clocks, while monitoring bodily functions. Participants who ate exclusively during daytime hours showed no significant changes to their cardiovascular risk factors--unlike those who snacked through the night.

Professor Frank Scheer from Brigham and Women's Hospital explained, "Circadian misalignment - when our activities are out of sync with our body clock - increases heart risk. This study shows that simply changing when we eat could make a big difference."