Health and Wellbeing

A new interdisciplinary breakthrough could see cancer being diagnosed through a quick finger-prick test. After five years of research, the team of biologists, clinical oncologists, pathologists and information scientists from ETH Zurich, University Hospital Zurich and the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen have determined a biomarker for prostate cancer – a particular pattern of proteins in the blood that indicate the presence of cancerous disease. Read More

Although it might seem counter-intuitive, making it more difficult for older people to walk will actually improve their mobility. Walking on unpredictable and uneven surfaces can improve balance and help reduce risk of falling. Working on this principle, researchers at Glasgow's University of Strathclyde in collaboration with Israeli medical products company Step of Mind Ltd. (SoM) have developed an innovative training shoe based on this principle called Re-Step that incorporates four motors on the bottom of each shoe to make it more difficult for the wearer to walk, therefore helping in rehabilitation from movement disorders such as those that result from stroke or brain trauma. Read More

Melanoma is the deadliest of skin cancers. In 2010 U.S. doctors diagnosed nearly 115,000 new cases of melanoma, with nearly 8,700 resulting in death. Scientists at Duke University have developed a new laser-based tool designed to identify malignant melanomas sooner, without the expense of false diagnosis and unnecessary surgery. Read More

For those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, just taking a pan of boiling vegetables from the cooker to the sink can be an awkward and dangerous adventure. After numerous interviews with sufferers, Australian university student Ching-Hao Hsu discovered that many regularly risk injury by trying to carry one-handled pans with the aid of a towel. To make such tasks a might easier, Hsu has designed the Arthritis Handle. The device slips over the forearm and allows the user to safely support the cookware on its journey around the kitchen. Read More

Academics from the University of Manchester have developed a process of creating working human muscle tissue from sea squirts. The research holds promise for the engineering of muscles, ligaments and nerves from cellulose which is usually found in plants and is the main component of paper and plant based textiles such as cotton and linen. The creation of muscle from scratch along with the ability to repair existing muscle has the potential to improve the lives of millions of people around the world. Read More

If you’ve seen Avatar or Aliens, then you’ve seen futuristic versions of exoskeletons – mechanical systems that human users wear over their bodies, to augment their own physical abilities. While exoskeletons are already available and in use today, they’re sometimes a bit more machine than what is needed. After all, why put on an expensive full- or half-body contraption, when you’re performing a task that mostly just requires the use of one arm? That’s where the x-Ar exoskeletal arm support comes in. Users wear it on their dominant arm, and it moves with them, providing support as they do things such as holding tools out in front of themselves. Read More

Knee injuries are one of the most common injuries that can befall sportspeople or those that simply enjoy an active lifestyle. Such injuries can lay up patients for weeks while they wait for the joints to regain their full function. Although the time it takes for the knee to heal is directly related to how well it responds to the chosen treatment, it can be difficult for an orthopedic doctor to evaluate the healing process and for the patients themselves to know what progress they are making. Researchers have now developed a new type of bandage that features integrated sensors to monitor a knee's range of movement over time to let patients know how they are progressing and let doctors know it they need to adapt the treatment. Read More

In the hierarchy of human needs, sex ranks a close third behind food and air. Pornography has always been one of the drivers of technology adoption, and it seems likely that the budding 3D television industry, which quite frankly is in dire need of a problem to solve, might have a savior in the rush to market of the pornographers. Interestingly, Youtube is going 3D first, but Penthouse has just begun the first Pan European 3D formatted adult channel – PENTHOUSE 3D – and others will soon follow. We're a strange bunch us human beings. Read More

As science continues to unravel the mysteries of ourselves and the world around us at a furious pace, it can sometimes feel like the boffins are proving things that many of us feel we already know or take for granted. This interesting example comes from the Stanford University School of Medicine, where scientists have found that intense feelings of love are as effective at relieving pain as painkillers or even illicit drugs. Read More