human cells

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have grown living human skin on a robotic finger, a bioengineering milestone reported by tech media. The cultured skin, built from human cells, covers the robotic digit and could one day give robots a lifelike appearance and touch sensitivity, with applications also envisioned in cosmetics testing and regenerative medicine.

The molluscum contagiosum virus, a common skin infection, apparently retains a gene it took from humans at some point in its evolutionary history. The New York Times reports on the finding, which highlights how viruses can acquire and keep host genes, offering insight into virus evolution and how the pathogen manipulates human skin cells. Scientists say such stolen genes may help explain why the virus persists so effectively in people.

Biotech company Vyriad has begun the first-in-human clinical trial of VV169, an in vivo CAR T therapy that engineers immune cells inside the patient's body rather than in a lab. The early-stage trial marks a first step in testing the safety of the experimental cancer treatment in people, an approach watched closely as it could simplify a cell therapy process that is currently complex and costly.

A new study published in Nature presents a systematic mapping of functional signaling landscapes across the human phosphoproteome, charting how phosphorylation events regulate cell signalling on a large scale. The work offers researchers a resource for understanding cellular communication and how its disruption may contribute to disease. Reception details are limited so far.

Researchers publishing in Nature have used spatially resolved multiomics to map how the human meninges, the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, develop. The work traces cell lineages during development and links them to disease dynamics, offering a reference for understanding neurological disorders tied to meningeal biology. It is being discussed among researchers following developmental biology and single-cell genomics.

Researchers have published a phosphoproteome atlas of human cell lines in Nature, charting the landscape of kinase activity across widely used laboratory models. The resource documents phosphorylation patterns that indicate which kinases are active in different cell lines, offering scientists a reference for studying cell signalling and for selecting appropriate models in cancer and drug research.

Eric Topol, a prominent American physician-scientist, argues that aging in humans is driven substantially by the loss of cell identity: as cells age, they drift from their specialised roles, which undermines tissue function and contributes to age-related disease. Writing on his Ground Truths platform, he frames this cellular reprogramming as a central mechanism in the biology of aging, a topic of growing interest in longevity research.

The Evening Standard reports on a new frontier in computing: data centres that use lab-grown human brain cells to process information. The technology, often called biocomputing, uses cultivated neurons that can learn and adapt, raising the prospect of far more energy-efficient computing than silicon-based systems, alongside ethical questions about the use of living human tissue in machines.

Astrophysics researchers suggest Earth's magnetic field is heading for a reversal, which could increase ionizing charged particles reaching the equator by up to 25%. Such particles can damage human cells and may interfere with atmospheric processes. The claim is circulating widely online, with readers debating how severe the health and climate consequences of a weakened magnetic field during a pole flip could actually be.

In Melbourne, Australia, a biological computer built from living human brain cells is being maintained like a living organism — it must be fed, kept warm and cleaned every few days or it dies. The system, called the CL1, is made by an Australian company and is drawing attention as a striking example of biocomputing, where lab-grown neurons perform computational tasks.

Scientists simulated microgravity conditions in human cells in the laboratory and discovered unexpected effects on DNA. The findings add to growing evidence that altered gravity can influence how genetic material behaves, with implications for astronaut health and long-duration space missions. Details of the study and the exact nature of the DNA changes were not specified in available coverage.