018 WTFuture - Audio Edition - Chopstick Robo Surgeons, Knee-saving Beads, latest UAPs and Sweet Space Clouds

Welcome to a future where your next surgeon might be a 4’ tall humanoid robot operated by a doctor who is exceptionally good with chopsticks!  Meet Surgey, a highly mobile humanoid robot that can remove a gall bladder or kidney via a remote operator, proving that these easily transportable machines can soon be dropped anywhere on the planet and perform delicate operations.  We then  explore a groundbreaking procedure called Genicular Artery Embolization, which uses tiny beads to block blood flow to inflamed knee vessels, offering a successful and relatively painless alternative to total knee replacements.   And then there is a real “sweet cloud” near the center of the Milky Way containing Erythrulose, a sugar molecule that suggests the fundamental building blocks of life might have been sprinkled onto a young Earth from deep space billions of years ago, during what is now known as the “Early Bombardment” period.  Speaking of space-grown miracles, researchers have also discovered that 3D-printing human organs like livers and kidneys in microgravity prevents the bio-ink cells from sinking and clumping together—a problem we compare to blueberries sinking to the bottom of muffin batter on Earth.  We wrap up with a quick peek at the Pentagon’s latest UFO photo dump—featuring a flying anomaly that looks suspiciously like the Star Wars Imperial probe droid looking for members of the Rebel Alliance on the ice planet Hoth.  We had a lot of fun this week, enjoy!