Apples have a long history of inspiring scientific progress. When Sir Isaac Newton watched an apple fall from a tree in 1666, he had a brilliant insight that led to his discovery of gravity.1,2 Little did Newton know that more than three centuries after his epiphany, Canadian researchers would serendipitously conceive of using apples to regenerate bone and that his discovery of gravitational force would shape their understanding of how to do so.
Gravity is essential for maintaining and regrowing bone, which undergoes a natural process of deterioration and restoration.3 The force of gravity and the physical exertion of movement and exercise stimulate the production of osteoblasts—cells that create new bone. Despite this innate regenerative activity, injury, disease, age, and the weightlessness of space travel create bone deficits. As a result, researchers seek ways to bioengineer bone tissue using osteoblasts grown in cell culture.
In a recent study published in ...
