Cheap Astronomy - SISS #17: Organs on a Chip

An organ-on-a-chip mimics the functional unit of a human body organ and is created by culturing a few of that organ’s specialised cells on a geometrically-organised scaffold, which is about the size of a microscope slide. A kidney-on-a-chip involves organising some nephron cells into a geometric structure that can concentrate urine. A liver-on-a-chip involves organising some Kupffer cells into a structure that can detoxify blood serum. There’s even a lung-on-a-chip that can mimic the function of alveoli, the gas exchange units in your lung. Do go visit http://astrogear.spreadshirt.com/ for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations. Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by Astrosphere New Media. http://www.astrosphere.org/ Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org. While you're at it, do support our Learning Space educator training program by going to this site: https://www.patreon.com/LearningSpace Please help us keep training the trainers! Learning Space is a weekly G+ Hangout on Air about topics in astronomy education, outreach and other ways to share science both in the school setting and outside it. We bring you interviews, hands-on demonstrations, lists of our favorite educational resources and more!