Add rapid, mobile testing for Zika and other viruses to the list of things that smartphone technology is making possible. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a smartphone-controlled, battery-operated diagnostic device that weighs under a pound, costs as little as $100 and can detect Zika, dengue and chikungunya within 30 minutes.
Read more ...
New Nano-Implant could One Day Help Restore Sight
A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego and La Jolla-based startup Nanovision Biosciences Inc. have developed the nanotechnology and wireless electronics for a new type of retinal prosthesis that brings research a step closer to restoring the ability of neurons in the retina to respond to light. The researchers demonstrated this response to light in a rat retina interfacing with a prototype of the device in vitro.
Read more ...
Floods and Hurricanes Predicted with Social Media
Social media can warn us about extreme weather events before they happen - such as hurricanes, storms and floods - according to new research by the University of Warwick. Nataliya Tkachenko, with her supervisors in the Department of Computer Science, has found that photographs and key words posted online can signal weather risks developing in specific locations and times - for example, posts about water levels rising can alert the authorities to a potential flood.
Read more ...
Interactive Health Apps May Inspire Healthy Behaviors, but Watch the Tone
Just like real doctors and nurses, online health tools with good - but controlled - communication skills can promote healthier lifestyles, according to researchers. However, if their tone is conversational, these tools may lull users into a false sense of comfort, they add. In a study, people who experienced a back-and-forth interaction with an online health risk assessment website were more likely to follow the health behaviors suggested by the tool,
Read more ...
Brain Imaging Headband Measures How Our Minds Align when We Communicate
Great ideas so often get lost in translation - from the math teacher who can't get through to his students, to a stand-up comedian who bombs during an open mic night. But how can we measure whether our audiences understand what we're trying to convey? And better yet, how can we improve that exchange?
Read more ...
Light Beam Replaces Blood Test During Heart Surgery
A University of Central Florida professor has invented a way to use light to continuously monitor a surgical patient's blood, for the first time providing a real-time status during life-and-death operations. The technology developed by UCF scientist Aristide Dogariu uses an optical fiber to beam light through a patient's blood and interpret the signals that bounce back.
Read more ...
New Studies Illustrate How Gamers Get Good
We all know that practice makes us better at things, but scientists are still trying to understand what kinds of practice work best. A research team led by a Brown University computer scientist has found insights about how people improve their skills in a rather unlikely place: online video games.
Read more ...