Tasting the Light
Device lets the visually impaired "see" with their tongues
Stories by Mandy Kendrick
Anti-Aging Pill Targets Telomeres at the Ends of Chromosomes
Could the secrets to anti-aging be at the tips of our chromosomes?
The Origin of Fruit Ripening
A gaseous plant hormone turns off anti-ripening genes, enabling fruit to mellow--and taste good
Tasting the Light: Device Lets the Blind "See" with Their Tongues
A pair of sunglasses wired to an electric "lollipop" helps the visually impaired regain optical sensations via a different pathway
Leukemia Cells Flash Fake Protein "ID" to Dupe the Immune System
A crucial protein on the surfaces of malignant cells shields them from destruction, but it could also provide a new way to attack cancer
China children's camp tests DNA--Gattaca becomes more than science fiction
The Chongqing Children's Palace in China will mix leisure with science this summer as the staff runs DNA testing on children attending the five-day camp.
Mexico City develops health care plan to lure tourists
The Mexico City government announced a plan this week to boost tourism in response to the negative impact of the H1N1 “swine” flu. The city will pick up medical costs for any guest who gets sick while visiting...
Michigan doctors try transparency when dealing with malpractice
Many doctors have a hard time owning up to errors, in part due to fears of being sued over malpractice claims and the consequent increase in malpractice insurance premiums.
Man Receives His Own Stem Cells as a Treatment for Heart Failure
The first person to receive a new cardiac stem cell treatment in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration clinical trial is doing well, it was announced last week.
New Zealand Company Injects Insulin-Making Cells from Pigs into Diabetic Humans
On Thursday the New Zealand-based Living Cell Technologies began giving type 1 diabetes patients a pig cell treatment, which promises to suppress disease symptoms.
Lawmakers and Farmers Clash on Food Safety Bill
The Food Safety Enhancement Act (H.R. 2749), a bill currently being moved through the House of Representatives and gaining attention over the summer, could give the U.S.
Putting the "Cell" in Cell Phone: Adapter Turns Its Camera into a Microscope
A low-cost adapter for cell phone cameras can capture images of abnormal cells and parasites
Former Boeing engineer convicted of handing over trade secrets on the shuttle and Delta 4 rocket to China
Yesterday, in a nonjury trial, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney convicted Dongfan “Greg” Chung, a 73-year-old Orange County, Calif., resident, on six counts of economic espionage for stealing trade secrets from Boeing...
A contemporary dance enacts a little neuroanatomy to teach science
Orbo Novo, a highly anticipated ballet, premiered in Boston this month. The contemporary dance, designed by esteemed choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, is giving audiences a glimpse into the two hemispheres of the brain...
Depressed U.S. corn prices suggest that ethanol production is not causing a shortage of the grain
Corn-based ethanol production continues to rise; U.S. farmers planted 87 million acres of corn this year—two million more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had initially estimated in March. This news has driven down corn market prices, leaving farmers skeptical about the theory that ethanol production has caused a corn shortage and in turn inflated food prices in the U.S...
Should Racial Profiling Play a Role in Cancer Prognosis?
Two recent studies indicate that the genetics of race influences the survivability of some cancers, but the conclusions are not so black and white
New analysis identifies pitchers at risk for shoulder injury
Arm injuries are commonplace among Major League Baseball pitchers, and such impairments may have cost a few notable pitchers, such as Randy Johnson and Brandon Webb, a chance to play in the 76th All-Star Game tonight...
U.S. science is tops, but most Americans don't think it is, a new survey finds.
Today the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Pew Research Center released results of a survey examining the attitudes of the general public and the scientific community as they regard to science...
Fat mice missing a specific kind of "junk DNA" more likely to be diabetic
A large portion of the human genome (approximately 98 percent) does not encode genes. Long thought to be "junk DNA," these portions, researchers continue to learn, can play a role in genetic activity and, subsequently, in health and sickness...
Desert plant plucks water from thin air
The arid Negev Desert in southern Israel is no match for the desert rhubarb, which plant researchers say has found a unique way to water itself.
The plant ( Rumex hymenosepalus ) has mastered collecting moisture in a region that receives just two to six inches [50.8 to 152.4 millimeters] of rainfall a year...
