Scientists at Stanford University have developed a new type of artificial cornea using two interwoven polymer gels of similar makeup to the materials used in soft contact lenses.

One layer is very strong, and the other is able to absorb a large amount of water, which creates a transparent, permeable substance with a water content similar to a natural cornea.

It hasn't yet been tested on humans, but in animal studies has shown promise.

(Via Core77)

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A South Korean company has successfully cloned five puppies from the frozen cells of a pitbull who died of cancer two years ago.

Bernann McKinney paid US$50,000 for the puppies, which are confirmed as Booger's genuine clones.

This case is all quite sentimental, because it sounds as if Booger was a wonder dog who saved its owner's life, and helped her recuperate from her injuries.

After his recent campaign to clear up the clearly criminal practice of battery chicken farming, I'm pretty sure mad-as-a-march-hare celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will be gearing up for a brand new TV series over the latest news that farmers might soon be corralling cattle using radio-controlled bovine headsets.

Researchers from the Department for Agriculture in the good ol' US of A have put their thinking caps on and designed a high-tech cow-hat that sits over the cow's ears and allows the controller to corral the individual remotely, using sounds funneled directly to the ears.

Lazy bastards and fatties rejoice - scientists in California have gone and created a pill that does all the hard work of exercise for you, helping you lose weight AND get fitter. Great news, yeah? Well, no.. Because before you get all excited and go mad ordering an extra large stuff-crust pizza in celebration - you should probably note that the pill only works on mice.

Yes, thanks to the good work by the people at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, whilst us humans still struggle to get down the gym and work off the calories from a rather lardy bacon sandwich, or run around the park to help shed a pound or two from our unwanted bulging bits - our furry friends the mice are laughing in our fat little faces.

Scientists from the Californian Institute of Technology have developed a high resolution microscope which is small enough to fit on a fingertip.

It uses "microfluidics" with a grid of CCD sensors -- as used in digital cameras -- to allow the liquid being analysed to be viewed in high magnification.

The chip needs to be illuminated from above, but sunlight is sufficient, meaning that it could provide a useful mobile solution for medical diagnosis in developing countries, as well as anywhere else.

If your faithful old mongrel is starting to get a bit wobbly on his legs and is going off his food, rip out a lump of its hair and head to South Korea - where "dog cloning" is a genuine service.

Two competing South Korean labs offer the chance to recreate a dog for anything between $50k and $100k, although, of course, this isn't just so Paris Hilton can keep the same puppy in her handbag for the next 50 years - there's a serious side to the science.

Working dogs. Clever dogs with the right attitude, the ones good at sniffing out bombs or remants of drugs on students as they come back though customs - they're the lucky few that will be cloned, thanks to it being cheaper to clone a dog they know is a good learner than waste money training loads of no-hopers.

And you know where this technology is heading - a free Cheryl Tweedy for every man in the UK.

(Via Reuters)

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More news from the world of mad scientists PLAYING GOD - this time they've managed to thoroughly confuse a poor monkey by hooking its brain up to robotic arm.

The serious research angle behind the monkey/robot/brain fun is something to do with it eventually being used to help humans control prosthetic limbs. So far, the boffins at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have managed to teach a monkey to pick up a marshmallow and put it in its mouth. Here is the dramatic moment in pictures:

This development in marshmallow consumption alone could help speed up the rate at which humans are becoming morbidly obese. Well done, scientists. Grant money well spent. Maybe next year you can spend a few million dollars getting a dog to use a robot arm to give itself a meaty treat?

(Via Reuters)

Previous monkey experiment news: Fags | Running for amusement

Continuing today's exciting DNA theme, we bring you exciting news in the often overlooked world of salmon sperm-enhanced energy efficient lighting systems.

Andrew Steckl, a photonics expert from the University of Cincinnati, has been experimenting with biological materials in an attempt to create newer, better forms of LED lighting. Specifically, he's using DNA to 'trap' electrons within his new BioLEDs, which helps them hold their light for longer. Which should make LED lights, to break into scientific speak for a moment, 'better' and 'cheaper'.

And it doesn't necessarily have to be salmon sperm - that's just Andrew's personal preference for sourcing 'waste' biological matter, although he seems rather happy when he points out that he's "receiving salmon sperm from researchers around the world."

Via (University of Cincinnati)

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The new NEC/Aida Engineering portable DNA tester can perform full DNA analysis in as little as 25 minutes, should you fancy staging Jeremy Kyle-style DNA paternity tests at your next office party. Here's a smashing photograph NEC sent out to illustrate the device. It features a lady actively testing some DNA, just in case you were wondering how it's done:

Luckily for her, the results confirm that Wayne IS the biological father. Relief all round!

Via (Pink Tentacle)

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The first really new art form of the 21st century is taking hold: bio-art. Bio-art ranges from Adam Zaretsky playing Englebert Humperdinck to E.coli for 48 hours to see how it reacted (it produced antibodies to, seemingly, try to ward off the bad music) to Julia Reodica's hymeNextTM, where she used a combination of rat tissue and her own vaginal cells to grow artificial hymens for her project. Unsurprisingly, PETA is opposed to bio-art, and in some cases the materials have been accused of being materials for terrorist activity. [GT]

Bio-artists bridge gap between arts, sciences