3D printing has achieved a remarkable feat in the health and science industry. Scientists have managed to 3D print blood vessels that are capable of delivering nutrients throughout a living body.

Engadget reports:

The key is to print an initial structure out of cells and other organic material, and then to augment it with bio ink and other body-friendly materials. With enough time, everything joins up and behaves naturally.

 

Right now, the actual structures don’t bear much resemblance to what you’d find in a person — you get a “spaghetti bowl” of vessels. Scientists hope to organize these vessels the way they exist in nature, though. If that happens, you could one day see artificial tissue samples and even transplants that are about as realistic as you can get.

Photo credit: Engadget.