He has managed to reprogram mouse connective-tissue cells so that they develop into cardiac muscle cells, and has tested them in the hearts of mice that have had heart attacks.

ECONOMIST: Stem cells and medicine: Repairing broken hearts | The

The latest work revolves around two culprit proteins, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF).

FORBES: Scar Wars

Pink slime occurs when sub-par beef scraps and connective tissue are mixed with ammonia to turn formerly inedible meat into edible ground beef.

FORBES: Let's Get Naked: A Guide to Brand Transparency

Laura Veirs' latest release, the stripped-down July Flame, uses atmosphere and tension as the connective tissue for its songs.

NPR: Exclusive First Listen: Laura Veirs

Fast-forward a couple more years and Deepak Srivastava, a scientist at the Gladstone Institute in San Francisco, found his own three-gene recipe for turning the plentiful, plebian cells that form connective tissue in the heart directly into cardiomyocytes, the cells that make the heart beat and are damaged by heart attacks.

FORBES: Cells Get a Makeover, Cancer Follows: A Path to New Therapies (and a Warning to Stem Cell Alchemists)