❤️ Heart on a chip

It’s Monday, February 19 — people are talking about the “heart on chip” development, SpaceX’s moon launch, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly. Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed.

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- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)

❤️ Heart on a chip

New “heart-on-a-chip” technology is buzzing in bio circles. It could be a leap for drug testing, but will it replace animal trials?

❤️ Live Science: NIST's new “Heart-on-a-chip” mimics human heart interactions. It could revolutionize drug testing by eliminating the need for animal testing.

❤️ Med Tech Intelligence explains that it's basically a small, transparent chip containing a network of microchannels printed on a layer of polymer. These microchannels are designed to imitate the blood vessels found in the human heart.

❤️ Nist.gov is hyped. It's a game-changer for ethical and efficient drug development. It'll speed up tests while cutting costs.

❤️ Electronics Weekly says it could advance cancer diagnosis and multi-organ interaction studies. But that's far away, and there's loads of testing to do first.

🚀 SpaceX’s moon launch

SpaceX launched a lunar mission called “Odysseus”. It will be the first commercial moon landing if successful. What does it mean for space travel?

🚀 Al Jazeera: Elon Musk's SpaceX launched a lunar lander that will touch down around Feb 22. They're aiming to revitalize moon exploration.

🚀 Newstalk ZB is excited. There's a big quest to find water at the moon's south pole. This mission could answer some big questions.

🚀 NYT concurs: SpaceX's moon launch is a leap for private lunar exploration — maybe it'll spur a commercial moon boom?

🚀 Apollo Mag says it's also about art — Cartoonist Jeff Koons's “Moon Phases” project is aboard, and will be installed at the landing site.

Quick hits

🏛️ The GOP has shown a growing acceptance of Russian expansionism, leading to a stall in additional aid for Ukraine amid the conflict.

🇮🇱 Gaza's Health Ministry reports over 29,000 deaths in the Israel-Hamas war, with a high civilian toll and ongoing conflict.

🚢 Yemen's Houthi rebels struck a Belize-flagged ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, leading to U.S. airstrikes against rebel targets.

☔️ California braces for another winter storm, with warnings of flooding, strong winds, and potential tornadoes.

Thanks for reading. If you have any feedback or want to share your thoughts or ideas, please email me at [email protected].