Twenty people die waiting for an organ transplant every day in the US, but lab-grown organs so far lack the cellular density, vasculature, and functions required to make them viable replacements. The new SWIFT method solves those problems by 3D printing vascular channel networks directly into living organ building blocks, enabling the creation of larger tissues approximating the size and function of organs, including heart tissue that beats on its own over a seven-day period.

The normal human gut microbiome is a flourishing community of microorganisms, some of which can affect the human immune system. Researchers have now found that oral antibiotics, which can kill gut microorganisms, can alter the human immune response to seasonal influenza vaccination.

New research suggests that streamflow variability brought on by climate change will negatively affect the survival of salamanders.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Apple is widely expected to announce the latest iteration of the Apple Watch on Tuesday, presumably called the Apple Watch Series 5, if the naming conventions hold out. But where does Apple even take the Watch next? What improvements can it possibly make that will turn it into the kind of product that Series 4 (or even Series 3 or Series 2) owners will rush out and upgrade to?

Part of the issue is the current Watch’s lack of competition. Apple dominates the smartwatch industry to an almost absurd level: last year, it accounted for more than half the total sales of all smartwatches, selling more than twice as many as Samsung and Fitbit — the number two and three spots on the leaderboard — combined, according to Strategy Analytics.

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