Print Me An Organ

This article sounded so sci-fi I almost didn't believe it was real, but according to The Economist, the era of being able to print 3-D human organs is no just coming -- it's here. A company specializing in regenerative medicine, Organovo, and engineering firm Invetech have teamed up to make a bio-printer capable of making simple body parts such as snippets of blood vessels, tissue and skin, all formed from the patient's own cells (to avoid the usual rejection). The article points out that printing more complex biological parts, like livers, kidneys and even hearts, can't be far behind, after all, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina made seven brand-new bladders for patients and all are still working just fine, thank you.