Entertainment
Stem Cells Used To Cure Monkey's Vision, Humans Next?
By Matthew Swigonski
| Published
In a major step that could potentially lead to jaw-dropping recoveries in humans affected by conditions such as macular holes, researchers at the Kobe Eye Hospital in Japan have repaired a hole in a monkey’s retina utilizing human stem cells.
In the revolutionary study published in the medical journal, Stem Cell Reports, a team led by Dr. Michiko Mandai took a look at repairing a macular hole in the eye of a Japanese macaque. According to the study, following the placement of a patch comprised of human stem cells onto the macaque’s retina, the animal’s vision greatly improved over the course of its recovery.
A Cure For Macular Holes?
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a macular hole is described as a circular opening that forms in your macula, creating a vision that may be blurry, wavy, or even distorted. As the macular hole increases in size, a dark or blind spot appears in a person’s central vision, greatly impacting a person’s quality of life.
For Dr. Mandai and her team of researchers at the Kobe Eye Hospital, their years-long study focused on the development of small versions of retinas derived from human stem cells, aimed at creating a vision-restoring procedure.
In order to test the viability of the human-made retinal organoid sheets, Dr. Mandai and the research team came in contact with another lab that was studying how the eyes and brain process images. However, that secondary lab discovered that one of the macaques was not able to complete a series of vision-based tests that any of the other macaques were able to complete. After a closer inspection, it was determined that the macaque suffered from a macular hole, which greatly impacted its vision and made completing the visual tests too difficult.
Testing The Procedure On Macaques
Seeing an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, the vision-impaired macaque was sent to Dr. Mandai’s laboratory. The research team then developed a retinal sheet derived from humans stem cells and attached the sheet to the macque’s retina, all with hopes of improving the animal’s eyesight. According to the research team’s study, not only was the transplant perfectly safe and relatively low-impact but the monkey’s performance on vision-based tests improved following its recovery.
Despite the success of the transplant of the human stem cells sheet and the restoration of the macque’s improved vision, the procedure still had a minor complication in the form of a “mild rejection” of the retinal organoid sheet. According to Mandai, the macaque’s immune system briefly attacked the transplanted sheet, but that was cleared up with a series of steroid injections that suppressed the immune system’s attack. According to Mandai, “Transplantation of human tissue to a human would have less risk of immune response,” leading to fewer complications she said.
An Alternative To Surgery
Normally, conditions such as macular holes or retinal degeneration are not only debilitating but also difficult to effectively treat, often leading to complications or even partial blindness. In some cases of macular holes, doctors treat a patient by performing a surgery called vitrectomy, where a surgeon removes the vitreous that is pulling on their macula. A gas bubble is then inserted into the eye to help flatten the macular hole and hold it in place while the eye heals.
Following the procedure, the gas bubble in the eye slowly goes away on its own as the patient heals and the hole begins to close, restoring a portion of the patients vision, though results are often dependent on the size of the hole. With the new human stem cell-based procedure, vision treatments may eventually offer less risks to human patients with an increased chance of restored vision.
Source: Stem Cell Reports
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
-
Word
-
Excel
-
PowerPoint
-
Outlook
-
OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
Mashable Top Stories
Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
