Scientists have created an artificial fish that can swim on its own using human heart cells, bringing researchers one step closer to developing a more complex artificial muscular pump.

According to Vice, Harvard University researchers developed a "biohybrid" fish by lining its tail fins with human heart muscles derived from stem cells. In doing so, they found that the cells contracted and caused the tail to pull in that direction, producing a stretch on the other side of the fin that in turn caused a contraction, pulling the tail in the opposite direction.

This artificial fish is powered by human heart cells.https://t.co/aioJKFDZft pic.twitter.com/6c5nIbA1sn

— Harvard SEAS (@hseas) February 11, 2022

The results of the study published in the journal Science revealed that the back-and-forth of the muscle contractions powered the faux-fish to swim with "the same motion as a beating heart" for 108 days, which is the equivalent of 38 million beats, proving that scientists can build a long-lasting muscular pump with human stem-cell-derived cardiac muscles.

"Our muscular bilayer construct is the first to demonstrate that the mechanoelectrical signalling of [cardiomyocytes] could induce self-sustaining muscle excitations and contractions for extended periods," said Kit Parker, a professor of bioengineering and applied physics at Harvard, highlighting the longer duration of movement demonstrated by the fish.

The robotic fish experiment marks a step forward for heart research as it provided a platform to study cardiovascular physiology and heart diseases such as arrhythmia. Researchers hope to one day leverage the results of the study to advance pacemaker technology or even build an artificial heart for transplant, but only after further research is carried out.

Human biology is often a focus of scientific studies as experts search for better ways to develop solutions to improve lives. One study examined how brains react to watching movies, while another led to the development of a tool that achieves mind control using light. Researchers in the same field also found a way to restore some brain function in dead pigs.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Thumbnail image credit: Michael Rosnach/Keel Yong Lee/Sung-Jin Park/Kevin Kit Parker.

The PlayStation versions of upcoming horror game Martha is Dead have been "modified" to remove certain elements, despite the original version launching as normal on Xbox and PC.

It's not clear what has been modified, but Martha Is Dead is already notable for an unflinching look at graphic elements, even in its trailers. The announcement came in a Tweet (below) posted just ten days before Martha is Dead's launch.

Expressing "regret" at the change, the developer's statement was prefaced with a warning that the game was always intended for adult audiences, "with play consisting of potentially discomforting scenes and themes that may distress some players."

It also announced that the physical versions on PlayStation would be delayed for a "small number of weeks".

A statement on Martha Is Dead pic.twitter.com/iI3T5s4LYR

— Martha Is Dead (@MarthaisDead) February 11, 2022

Developer LKA and publisher Wired Productions added: "It is with regret that we have had to modify the experience on the PS5 and PS4 versions, with some elements no longer playable."

They added: "The PC and Xbox versions of Martha is Dead are both unaffected by these developments and will launch with the full unedited gameplay as planned."

Martha is Dead is a dark psychological thriller, within which LKA promises deep, multi-layered narratives combined with real locations and a mix of history, superstition, and psychological distress.

IGN has reached out for comment from PlayStation and Wired Productions but has not yet heard back.

Martha is Dead will be released digitally on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox, and PC on February 24. Physical Xbox versions will be available the same day, with PlayStation versions on their way.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

The PlayStation versions of upcoming horror game Martha is Dead have been "modified" to remove certain elements, despite the original version launching as normal on Xbox and PC.

It's not clear what has been modified, but Martha Is Dead is already notable for an unflinching look at graphic elements, even in its trailers. The announcement came in a Tweet (below) posted just ten days before Martha is Dead's launch.

Expressing "regret" at the change, the developer's statement was prefaced with a warning that the game was always intended for adult audiences, "with play consisting of potentially discomforting scenes and themes that may distress some players."

It also announced that the physical versions on PlayStation would be delayed for a "small number of weeks".

A statement on Martha Is Dead pic.twitter.com/iI3T5s4LYR

— Martha Is Dead (@MarthaisDead) February 11, 2022

Developer LKA and publisher Wired Productions added: "It is with regret that we have had to modify the experience on the PS5 and PS4 versions, with some elements no longer playable."

They added: "The PC and Xbox versions of Martha is Dead are both unaffected by these developments and will launch with the full unedited gameplay as planned."

Martha is Dead is a dark psychological thriller, within which LKA promises deep, multi-layered narratives combined with real locations and a mix of history, superstition, and psychological distress.

IGN has reached out for comment from PlayStation and Wired Productions but has not yet heard back.

Martha is Dead will be released digitally on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox, and PC on February 24. Physical Xbox versions will be available the same day, with PlayStation versions on their way.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Oscar Isaac has said that his strange British accent in Moon Knight is a deliberate decision, and not simply a bad attempt at impersonating an English person.

Talking to Empire as part of the cover story for April's issue #399, Isaacs said "That voice is about where Steven's from, where he's living now, and some of his believed heritage."

"It's not an idea of what Brits actually sound like," he emphasised.

This distinction is backed up by director Mohamed Diab, who said "Anything Oscar does is deliberate."

Isaac's accent for Moon Knight's alter-ego, Steven Grant, has been a topic of great debate since it was first heard in the show's initial teaser. A very odd British twang that's unlike almost anything a UK resident has heard, it was easy to brush it off as an American actor not quite grasping the right sounds. However, Moon Knight is about a character with dissociative identity disorder, which opens up more potential around that accent. Some fans had theorised that this is just what one of Moon Knight's identities thinks a British person sounds like. And Isaac's mention of it being rooted in his "believed heritage" suggests that theory could be right.

In the comics, Steven Grant is actually a wealthy Bruce Wayne-style playboy, so this is a very different take on the character. That's not the only change, it seems as though Moon Knight is very different to the comics as a whole. He's still going to be one of the most brutal Marvel characters, though.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Oscar Isaac has said that his strange British accent in Moon Knight is a deliberate decision, and not simply a bad attempt at impersonating an English person.

Talking to Empire as part of the cover story for April's issue #399, Isaacs said "That voice is about where Steven's from, where he's living now, and some of his believed heritage."

"It's not an idea of what Brits actually sound like," he emphasised.

This distinction is backed up by director Mohamed Diab, who said "Anything Oscar does is deliberate."

Isaac's accent for Moon Knight's alter-ego, Steven Grant, has been a topic of great debate since it was first heard in the show's initial teaser. A very odd British twang that's unlike almost anything a UK resident has heard, it was easy to brush it off as an American actor not quite grasping the right sounds. However, Moon Knight is about a character with dissociative identity disorder, which opens up more potential around that accent. Some fans had theorised that this is just what one of Moon Knight's identities thinks a British person sounds like. And Isaac's mention of it being rooted in his "believed heritage" suggests that theory could be right.

In the comics, Steven Grant is actually a wealthy Bruce Wayne-style playboy, so this is a very different take on the character. That's not the only change, it seems as though Moon Knight is very different to the comics as a whole. He's still going to be one of the most brutal Marvel characters, though.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

CD Projekt Red has announced a Cyberpunk 2077 stream, to be broadcast tomorrow, February 15.

Airing at 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern / 3pm UK (that's February 16 at 2am AEDT), CDPR currently hasn't offered details on what will be included, but it feels likely that we'll get news on the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X/S editions of the game.

This stream is also being branded as a REDstream, rather than the Night City Wire streams we saw around Cyberpunk's launch, which could indicate that we'll get news on other CDPR projects. That could include The Witcher 3's own next-gen version (currently scheduled for Q2 2022), or its brand new single-player Gwent game.

So, choom, how 'bout a date? We'll talk things, y'know.

You're in? Preem!

Let's meet tomorrow, Feb 15th, at 4PM CET, at the usual place: https://t.co/y8iUIM0gBv.

See you there! pic.twitter.com/VRXpeA21ME

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) February 14, 2022

CDPR has been promising new-gen versions of Cyberpunk 2077 since before launch, originally scheduled for the latter half of last year. However, a delay saw them pushed to Q1 2022, meaning a release should come before the end of March. Recently, a native PS5 version of the game was spotted in the PlayStation Network backend, adding more fuel to the fire of a release in the near future.

There's a chance that we'll also hear about the game's first paid DLC expansion. CDPR previously promised expansions the size of the two released for The Witcher 3, and revealed last year that the core team on Cyberpunk had been scaled back, with more developers made available to work on an expansion.

There's also the outside chance of news around Cyberpunk's once-promised online component – although CDPR previously said it had "reconsidered" a multiplayer Cyberpunk project. It remains unclear whether that's been delayed, cancelled, or turned into something else.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

CD Projekt Red has announced a Cyberpunk 2077 stream, to be broadcast tomorrow, February 15.

Airing at 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern / 3pm UK (that's February 16 at 2am AEDT), CDPR currently hasn't offered details on what will be included, but it feels likely that we'll get news on the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X/S editions of the game.

This stream is also being branded as a REDstream, rather than the Night City Wire streams we saw around Cyberpunk's launch, which could indicate that we'll get news on other CDPR projects. That could include The Witcher 3's own next-gen version (currently scheduled for Q2 2022), or its brand new single-player Gwent game.

So, choom, how 'bout a date? We'll talk things, y'know.

You're in? Preem!

Let's meet tomorrow, Feb 15th, at 4PM CET, at the usual place: https://t.co/y8iUIM0gBv.

See you there! pic.twitter.com/VRXpeA21ME

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) February 14, 2022

CDPR has been promising new-gen versions of Cyberpunk 2077 since before launch, originally scheduled for the latter half of last year. However, a delay saw them pushed to Q1 2022, meaning a release should come before the end of March. Recently, a native PS5 version of the game was spotted in the PlayStation Network backend, adding more fuel to the fire of a release in the near future.

There's a chance that we'll also hear about the game's first paid DLC expansion. CDPR previously promised expansions the size of the two released for The Witcher 3, and revealed last year that the core team on Cyberpunk had been scaled back, with more developers made available to work on an expansion.

There's also the outside chance of news around Cyberpunk's once-promised online component – although CDPR previously said it had "reconsidered" a multiplayer Cyberpunk project. It remains unclear whether that's been delayed, cancelled, or turned into something else.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus hackers have found a secret modern-day room hidden in the game that stands out amid its ancient setting.

The room is fully furnished with a desk, TV, and even a Pokémon themed Nintendo Switch, very similar to the player's starting room in the mainline titles but still unique to Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

It can't be found in the final version of the game but was discovered by hacker @DeepGameRes (and shared by Faz Faz on YouTube) in an exploited PC emulation.

None of the items can be interacted with and the player will actually clip right through the different pieces of furniture, likely because the room was never meant to be found.

Fans are already speculating what it could be, with some asking if it's a hint at upcoming DLC and others wondering if it was a since-deleted introduction to the game where the player falls back in time.

There's no way to know if DLC is on its way as Nintendo and the Pokémon company have made no such announcements. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is also a brand new style of Pokémon game, and so there's no precedent as to how DLC could work. Of the Switch collection so far, Sword and Shield did receive post-release content but Let's Go did not, along with Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (though these only released in November 2021).

IGN said Pokémon Legends: Arceus was "good", and "an ambitious revamp that successfully revolutionizes the defining Pokemon experiences of catching and battling, but is unfortunately set in a drab, empty, and at times tedious world."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus hackers have found a secret modern-day room hidden in the game that stands out amid its ancient setting.

The room is fully furnished with a desk, TV, and even a Pokémon themed Nintendo Switch, very similar to the player's starting room in the mainline titles but still unique to Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

It can't be found in the final version of the game but was discovered by hacker @DeepGameRes (and shared by Faz Faz on YouTube) in an exploited PC emulation.

None of the items can be interacted with and the player will actually clip right through the different pieces of furniture, likely because the room was never meant to be found.

Fans are already speculating what it could be, with some asking if it's a hint at upcoming DLC and others wondering if it was a since-deleted introduction to the game where the player falls back in time.

There's no way to know if DLC is on its way as Nintendo and the Pokémon company have made no such announcements. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is also a brand new style of Pokémon game, and so there's no precedent as to how DLC could work. Of the Switch collection so far, Sword and Shield did receive post-release content but Let's Go did not, along with Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (though these only released in November 2021).

IGN said Pokémon Legends: Arceus was "good", and "an ambitious revamp that successfully revolutionizes the defining Pokemon experiences of catching and battling, but is unfortunately set in a drab, empty, and at times tedious world."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Lost Ark is adding an entire new region of servers in Europe as the game continues to cope with high player counts following its launch last week that saw it quickly become Steam’s second most-played game of all time.

In a blog post, developer Smilegate said that it’s working “as quickly as possible” to add the new region. While it didn’t say how many servers will be included within that region, Lost Ark’s existing regions range from seven to 19 servers, so you can expect a similar number here.

Players won’t be able to carry over any characters or progress, and Smilegate made clear that the new region is mainly intended for incoming players and for those who’ve not yet committed to a single server.

The studio said it would work on the new region "24/7 until it's live," but did warn the addition would take time and lengthy queue times may persist until the new region is implemented.

Smilegate was forced to add more than a dozen new servers to Lost Ark even before it’s official free-to-play launch as the MMO cultivated an immense following that has left it “filled to the brim”.

To celebrate the launch of Lost Ark, however, and perhaps thank fans for their patience, Smilegate is giving all players a bundle of gifts that includes a choice of mount, a skin selection chest, and a number of consumable item chests.

IGN’s review in progress of Lost Ark said it “takes a genuinely impressive stab at the isometric action RPG genre” and the game is “expansive and deep, capable of scratching the itch for a new Diablo-like action RPG that is potentially filled with other players to meet and team up with.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.