On World Organ Transplant Day, we usually hear about the urgent need for more donors, the lifesaving power of a transplant, and how one person’s decision can save up to eight lives. That is all still true and still critical but here is the twist: while the waiting lists grow, so do the technologies that might one day make them shorter or even unnecessary.

The future of organ transplantation is not just beating in donor hearts anymore; it is also whirring in lab incubators, spinning in magnetic rotors, and taking shape layer by layer on 3D bioprinters.

Despite decades of successful surgeries, the biggest roadblock in transplantation remains supply. Dr Bipin Chevale, CEO of Gleneagles Hospital Mumbai, explains, “There is still a persistent disparity between organ supply and demand. In India, thousands remain on waiting lists, and many lose their lives before a suitable organ becomes available.”

The reasons are a blend of low awareness, cultural taboos, and plain logistical hurdles. In 2023–24, nearly 50,000 Indians were waiting for organ replacement, according to the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). Globally, the US alone has more than 100,000 patients on transplant lists, with 13 lives lost every day while waiting.

Medical science, however, has been busy building backup plans. From 3D printing body parts to developing fully artificial organs, scientists are inching closer to a future where “no donor” does not mean “no hope”.

The Rise of 3D Bioprinting

Specialised 3D bioprinters can lay down living cells in precise patterns to create tissue that looks and behaves like the real thing.

Dr Varun Mittal, Head of Kidney Transplant at Artemis Hospitals, says researchers have “made great strides in printing living tissues and complicated networks of blood vessels”, something previously thought impossible. Techniques like Co-SWIFT create branching vessels inside heart tissue, while 3D ice printing uses water and gelatine to make smooth vessel templates.

While we are not yet popping out fully functional hearts or kidneys from printers for surgical use, these technologies are already valuable for training surgeons, testing drugs, and inching toward patient-specific implants. The idea is to design an organ to match a patient’s exact size, shape, and immune profile, dramatically lowering the risk of rejection.

Artificial Organs: Machines That Act Human

If printing an organ from scratch is the long game, artificial organs are the fast-forward button. These mechanical or bioengineered devices can take over the job of a failing organ, sometimes temporarily, sometimes for months or years.

One striking example is the BiVACOR artificial heart. It does not beat; it spins. A magnetic rotor pumps blood continuously, acting as a bridge until a donor heart is found. Dr Mittal points out that some patients have survived for months with the device, staying mobile and alert while awaiting surgery.

Similarly, researchers are developing implantable bioartificial kidneys that could filter blood and house living kidney cells without the need for dialysis or lifelong immunosuppressants. Wearable dialysis units are also in the works, aimed at freeing patients from hours tethered to clinic machines.

The Lung and Liver Challenge

Some of the boldest experiments are happening with lungs and livers, two of the trickiest organs to replace due to their complexity.

Dr Yasir Rizvi, Director of Nephrology and Kidney Transplant at Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, points to a landmark in lung research: a 3D-printed human-scale scaffold containing about 4,000 km of capillaries across 44 trillion voxels. In animal studies, it has already exchanged gases like a natural lung.

For the liver, bioprinting and bioengineering efforts aim to create functional tissue that can sustain patients until a full transplant is possible or even act as a permanent fix in the future.

The Benefits Are Already Here

We may still be a few years from printing a fully functional, transplant-ready heart, but artificial organ technology is already improving lives. Pacemakers, cochlear implants, and ventricular assist devices, these are all proof that machinery and biology can coexist in the human body.

Artificial organs have the potential to:

• Reduce rejection by using a patient’s own cells
• Cut waiting times dramatically
• Lower long-term medical costs by reducing hospital stays
• Give access to treatment in regions where donor organs are scarce

As Dr Chevale says, these breakthroughs are only half the story. “Their success will also depend on increasing awareness about organ donation, busting myths, and encouraging more people to pledge their organs.”

The Ethical Road Ahead

Of course, the march toward lab-grown and artificial organs comes with big ethical questions. Who gets them first? Will they be affordable or only for the wealthy? How do we ensure safety in devices meant to live inside fragile bodies?

Dr Rizvi believes that with “careful regulation, transparent trials and patient-centred design, these innovations can turn prototypes into standard care”. In India, collaborations between AIIMS, IITs, and bio-technical start-ups are already laying the groundwork, with the hope of producing affordable devices for both domestic and global use within a decade.

A Future Worth Donating To

Even if the day comes when a printer can make you a brand-new kidney, organ donation will still matter. Research organs, temporary implants, and hybrid solutions will always benefit from donated tissue to validate safety and function.

The future of transplantation is no longer just a race against the clock for a donor organ, it is also a race to develop, print, and perfect replacements that can save lives anywhere, anytime.

A new study published this week in Nature has found that the loss of lithium, which is a naturally occurring element in the brain. This could be an early warning sign of Alzheimer’s disease and a key driver of its progression. Alzheimer’s affects more than 7 million Americans, and this finding offers fresh hope for treatment strategies.

The research, led by Bruce A. Yankner, a professor of genetics and neurology at Harvard Medical School, shows that lithium plays a vital role in maintaining the health of all major brain cell types in mice. When lithium levels in the brain drop, it appears to contribute to nearly all the major forms of brain deterioration seen in Alzheimer’s disease.

While lithium’s link to Alzheimer’s is new, the metal itself has a long medical history, most notably in mental health treatments.

What Is Lithium?

Lithium is the lightest metal found in nature. Silvery and soft, it’s best known today for powering our smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles, all thanks to its ability to store large amounts of energy and discharge electrons quickly.

Its use in everyday products has an unusual history.

The original version of the soft drink 7Up contained lithium citrate and was marketed as “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda,” reported the Washington Post.

Lithium was removed in 1948 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned its inclusion in soft drinks.

Today, Australia leads the world in lithium production, while Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina form the so-called “lithium triangle” due to their rich reserves.

Lithium’s Role in Mental Health

Lithium carbonate, a chemical form of the metal, has been a cornerstone in the treatment of bipolar disorder since its approval by the FDA in 1970. It is considered a mood stabilizer and is sometimes prescribed for long-term depression management.

Although researchers still don’t fully understand how it works, lithium is thought to reduce stress in the brain and boost neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize itself over time.

The new Nature study adds to this understanding, showing that our brains naturally contain small amounts of lithium.

Historically, lithium use in psychiatry dates back to the mid-19th century, but it gained prominence in the late 1940s when Australian psychiatrist John Cade found it helped stabilize bipolar patients.

“It’s been around for decades, and we have a lot of research and evidence supporting its use,” said Elizabeth Hoge to the Post. Hoge is a psychiatry professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine. However, Hoge cautioned that lithium treatment requires regular monitoring of kidney and thyroid function.

ALSO READ: Could Lithium Deficiency In The Brain Trigger Alzheimer’s?

Balwinder Singh, a psychiatry professor at the Mayo Clinic, as reported by the Post, calls lithium the “gold standard” for bipolar disorder, though it is prescribed less often in the U.S. than in Europe. Only about 10–15% of American bipolar patients take lithium, compared with around 35% in Europe. Singh also highlighted its unique benefit: “Lithium is the only mood stabilizer consistently shown to reduce suicidality.”

That said, some research has questioned lithium’s effectiveness for bipolar depression, finding it may not outperform placebos or antidepressants in certain cases.

Why Researchers Are Exploring Lithium for Alzheimer’s

Lithium’s potential role in Alzheimer’s is not entirely new. Past studies have hinted at its protective effects on the brain.

A 2017 Danish study suggested that communities with higher lithium levels in drinking water had lower rates of dementia.

Yankner’s team became interested in lithium after measuring the levels of 30 different metals in the brains and blood of three groups: cognitively healthy individuals, those in the early stages of dementia, and those with advanced Alzheimer’s. Of all the metals tested, only lithium showed a significant difference among the groups.

Lithium appears to help maintain the brain’s “communication network” by supporting neuron connections, producing the myelin that insulates those connections, and aiding microglial cells in clearing cellular debris—processes essential for memory and cognitive health.

How This Could Lead to New Treatments

In lab tests, Yankner’s team administered small amounts of lithium orotate, a different lithium compound, to mice with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms. The treatment reversed the disease model and restored brain function in the animals.

While the results are promising, Yankner stressed that it’s too early for people to start taking lithium for Alzheimer’s. The compound has not yet been tested in humans for this purpose, and lithium can be toxic if improperly dosed.

“This should spur clinical trials,” Yankner said, but he also cautioned that “things can change as you go from mice to humans.”

For now, the research offers an intriguing lead but not an immediate solution. Clinical trials, if launched soon, could take years to confirm whether lithium could safely and effectively slow or prevent Alzheimer’s in people.

A Small Metal With Big Potential

Scientists, now, are beginning to understand that it may also hold a key to protecting the brain from one of the most devastating diseases of our time.

If future studies confirm lithium’s benefits for Alzheimer’s, it could pave the way for a treatment that works by restoring something the brain naturally produces, rather than introducing an entirely foreign substance.

If your thumb has developed the muscle tone of a professional gamer and your brain twitches when a notification pops up, you are living the full 21st-century social media experience. Somewhere between the fear of missing out (FOMO) and the joy of missing out (JOMO) lies a vast, unpredictable middle ground that can either boost your mood or fry your mental circuits.

FOMO: Anxiety in a Newsfeed

Dr Ashish Bansal, MD, Consultant Psychiatrist and co-founder of House of Aesthetics in New Delhi, describes FOMO as living in “a comparative world”. It is that creeping dread when your feed is flooded with friends on exotic beach holidays, colleagues posting about career wins, or acquaintances showing off culinary masterpieces you didn’t even know could exist.

“This is not just envy,” Dr Bansal explains. “There is a hidden belief that our life is useless when compared with others.” The consequences are more than emotional discomfort; research links excessive FOMO to high stress levels, poor sleep quality, and even depression.

Counselling psychologist Reshmithaa Nair from Sparsh Hospital in Bangalore adds that FOMO “can push individuals to overcommit socially, compare achievements, and feel inadequate.” That compulsive checking of notifications? It is not harmless. It chips away at focus and self-esteem like a relentless digital woodpecker.

JOMO: Peace in the Offline Lane

Then there is JOMO, the Joy of Missing Out, which is less about Netflix marathons in pyjamas and more about a deliberate retreat from the constant online buzz. “JOMO is about setting boundaries,” says Dr Bansal. “Choosing meaningful, offline experiences over endless online engagement.”

It is not an antisocial media rebellion but a conscious decision to protect mental space. Nair points out that people embracing JOMO often experience “reduced stress, improved sleep, and deeper real-life connections”. It is the art of logging off without the guilt, reclaiming your time like a boss, and refusing to measure your worth in likes or retweets.

The Spectrum: It is Not All or Nothing

While FOMO and JOMO are catchy polar opposites, most of us live somewhere in between. Social media is not inherently evil, nor is it a magical self-care tool. It can be a place of connection, learning, and inspiration, or a breeding ground for burnout, envy, and loneliness.

“The impact depends heavily on usage patterns, self-awareness, and boundaries,” says Nair. It is not just about whether you are online or offline, but how you engage when you are there. Dr Bansal calls this mindful usage, curating feeds to highlight uplifting content, scheduling screen-free hours, and remembering that what you see online is “only a highlight reel, not the full story”.

What is Digital Mindfulness?

Even small shifts, like swapping passive scrolling for purposeful engagement, can turn social media from a mental drain into a growth tool. “When we engage with intention, it can enhance our well-being. When we use it unconsciously, it can amplify stress and comparison,” she says.

From Doomscrolling to Delightscrolling

So what does balance look like in real life?

• Checking updates once or twice a day instead of every 10 minutes.
• Following accounts that inspire you rather than inflame your insecurities.
• Logging off when you feel more anxious than entertained.

It is about catching yourself before you spiral into a 3 am YouTube hole titled “Top 100 Cats Who Look Like Famous Politicians”.

Remember the Offline Reel

Perhaps the most important reminder is that the best moments often do not make it to Instagram. They happen in the middle of unfiltered laughter, over cups of chai with friends, or while watching the sunset without thinking of hashtags. As Dr Bansal says, “Sometimes the best moments are missed while we are just watching a post.”

Nair leaves us with a gentle nudge: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you.” That means you, your mind, and your phone have an overheating battery. Whether you thrive in the fast-paced digital current, find serenity in switching off, or navigate somewhere in between, the goal remains the same: keep your mental health at the centre of your online habits.

Historically, people have been slathering its goat milk goodness on their skin thanks to its rich fats and skin-loving nutrients. Lactic acid is a naturally occurring alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) found in goat milk. It works by breaking the “glue” between dead skin cells, letting them slide off more easily to reveal fresher, smoother skin underneath.

Dead skin cells can more easily slide off to reveal the smoother, lighter skin underneath when lactic acid breaks down the bonds holding them together. In higher concentrations (like the 5–12% found in targeted skincare products), lactic acid boosts radiance, hydrates, and softens fine lines. In goat milk, however, the concentration is lower, which means it’s milder but slower to deliver visible results.

The Gentle but Patient Approach

“As goat milk contains less lactic acid than pure lactic acid, it is weaker but still works,” says Dr. Sooriya. “This reduces the possibility of irritation brought on by higher AHAs, making it good for people with dry skin.”

This gentleness is exactly why it’s a safe choice for sensitive skin.

Dr. Katheeja Nasika points out that the fatty acids, antioxidants, and bioactive proteins in goat milk help maintain the skin barrier and suppress inflammation, a bonus you don’t always get from stronger chemical exfoliants.

Manage Your Expectations

Here’s where the bubble bursts for anyone hoping for overnight miracles. Goat milk won’t banish deep wrinkles, stubborn pigmentation, or cystic acne. It’s not meant to.

“You should not rely solely on goat milk to remove large pimples, wrinkles, or dark spots,” advises Dr. Sooriya. “Add active ingredients like vitamin C or niacinamide, in moderation, to help in the process.”

Similarly, Dr. Nasika emphasises that while goat milk can enhance hydration and texture, the lactic acid content is low and variable, making results subtle and unpredictable. In other words, it’s more of a maintenance player than a star striker in your skincare squad.

Where Goat Milk Shines

If your skincare goals are about gentle exfoliation, daily nourishment, and barrier support, goat milk ticks the boxes. Used in soaps, cleansers, and lotions, it:

• Softly removes minor discolourations
• Hydrates the skin with its blend of vitamins A and D
• Supports cell turnover without triggering redness
• Adds a touch of radiance over time
• Goat milk is also especially handy for those who can’t tolerate stronger AHAs but still want some exfoliation in their routine.

Gentle, Yes. Overhyped? Not Exactly.

Calling goat milk “overhyped” depends on what hype you have been sold. If you have been promised a miracle in a bar of soap, that’s overselling it. But if you understand it as a slow, steady, and skin-friendly option, it’s a quiet achiever.

“It might not work miracles, but it’s a good way to clean your skin without harming it and gain extra nutrients at the same time,” says Dr. Sooriya.

Dr. Nasika agrees, noting that it’s particularly suited for sensitive skin as a maintenance therapy, just don’t expect it to replace higher-strength exfoliants when dealing with pigmentation or fine lines.

• Good for: Sensitive skin, dry skin, gentle daily exfoliation, hydration
• Not so good for: Deep pigmentation, pronounced wrinkles, active acne
• Best used as: A daily cleanser or lotion, paired with other active ingredients (used carefully) for bigger skincare goals