The Daily Populous

Tuesday March 19th, 2019 morning edition

image for Scientists grow 'mini-brain on the move' that can contract muscle

The lentil-sized grey blob of human brain cells were seen to spontaneously send out tendril-like connections to link up with the spinal cord and muscle tissue, which was taken from a mouse.

The muscles were then seen to visibly contract under the control of the so-called brain organoid.

The latest blob shows similarities, in terms of the variety of neurons and their organisation, to the human foetal brain at 12-16 weeks of pregnancy.

However, the scientists said the structure was still too small and primitive to have anything approaching thoughts, feelings or consciousness.

Alongside the organoid, the scientists added in a 1mm-long spinal cord, taken from a mouse embryo, and the surrounding back muscle.

The brain cells automatically began to send out neuronal connections, linked up with the spinal cord and began sending electrical impulses, which caused the muscles to twitch.

“It’s extremely exciting to see evidence of functional nerve tracts growing out of developing human brain tissue and innervating other tissues,” he said. »

Woman shot herself in the head while cuffed with hands behind her back during traffic stop in suicide, police say

Authored by foxnews.com

A 19-year-old woman involved in a traffic stop committed suicide after shooting herself through the mouth while her hands were cuffed behind her back, Virginia police said.

Cops then reportedly left Wilson handcuffed with her hands behind her back as they ran to catch Medlin.

While unattended, police say, she was able to grab a weapon out of the Lexus, "contorted" her body and shot herself through the mouth. »

Astronomers discover 83 supermassive black holes at the edge of the universe

Authored by cnet.com

A team of international astronomers have been hunting for ancient, supermassive black holes -- and they've hit the motherlode, discovering 83 previously unknown quasars.

The universe is full of supermassive black holes, monstrous versions of the humble, everyday black hole, containing masses millions or billions of times that of our sun.

These huge cosmic beasts generate mammoth gravitational effects, so you often find supermassive black holes hiding out at the center of galaxies, orbited by billions of stars. »

Deutsche Bank loaned over $2 billion to Trump: report

Authored by thehill.com

The New York Times reported Monday, based on interviews with more than 20 bank officials, that the bank repeatedly loaned money to Trump despite multiple business-related "red flags.".

The report, which details the history between Trump and the bank, comes as congressional committees and the New York attorney general are investigating Trump's financial ties to the bank.

In attempting to secure loans from the bank, Trump often exaggerated his wealth, according to the Times. »

California Joins the Global Fight for the Right to Repair Our Things

Authored by ifixit.org
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California just introduced Right to Repair legislation, making it the 20th state to propose legislation in 2019 and the second year in a row Right to Repair has been considered in California.

Unique to the state of California, this law requires companies to provide a repair option.

You can learn more about Right to Repair at Repair.org, and listen to Repair Radio to get the latest updates on this year’s legislation. »