Photo: Lindsey France/Cornell University/AP Photo
Mommy, where do ears come from? Someday, an acceptable answer might be “From 3-D printers that use living cells as the raw materials.” In this case, researchers at Cornell University formed a customized replacement ear using a printed soft mold that had been injected with a collagen gel. The gel contained special cow cells that produce cartilage. After a few weeks, enough cartilage had grown to replace the collagen, leaving a flexible, natural-looking ear.
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