Researchers have identified a drug that can regenerate teeth from the inside out, possibly reducing the need for artificial fillings.

The drug was previously used in Alzheimer’s clinical trials, and it now appears to improve the tooth’s natural ability to heal itself. It works by activating stem cells inside the tooth’s pulp centre, prompting the damaged area to regenerate the hard dentin material that makes up the majority of a tooth.

“The simplicity of our approach makes it ideal as a clinical dental product for the natural treatment of large cavities, by providing both pulp protection and restoring dentine,” said lead author Paul Sharpe from King’s College London.

Interesting position.

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Anonymous by request.

“The human energy field exists as an array of oscillating energy points that have a layered structure and a definite symmetry and these properties fulfill the definition of a normal crystal in material form” – Marc Vogel.

The human body is a universe onto itself; a vast, intricate system of incredible sensitivity and detail. It has been the subject of wonder, philosophy and scientific study for centuries, yet its most elemental design is still shrouded in mystery. What is the relation of biological life to the Cosmos – to the fabric of space and time itself? Is our body the “earthen machine” of Descartes; an “automaton” of discrete mechanical function? Are we really locked in an endless struggle against the ticking clock of thermodynamic entropy – of increasing disorder – as is the view of contemporary physics? The fractal-holographic model sheds new light on these questions; a unified description of the Cosmos reveals its true relation to Man, a relationship so entangled, so intimate that the two cannot be viewed apart…

In Brief

• Researchers have created a 3D bulk material from silk fibroin that can be programmed to activate specific tasks when exposed to conditions like temperature or infrared light.
• The material could be used to create everything from hormone-emitting orthopedics to surgical pins that change color when they near their mechanical limits.

Engineers from Tufts University have just created a new, versatile material that could be optimized for a number of purposes, particularly within the medical field. The material was constructed out of special proteins called silk fibroins, and it can be programmed for specific biological, chemical, or mechanical tasks. The study was published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The team used water-based fabrication methods inspired by protein self-assembly to produce 3D bulk materials from silk fibroin. Fibroin, the structural protein that gives silk its durability, was chosen because it allowed for the easiest manipulation of the resulting substance’s form, as well as smoother modification of function. It’s also completely biodegradable.