Medical Technology1337 articles archived since 1845

May 2012 Briefing Memo

New Physics and Future Medicine

The Future of Health

Here, you can read Scientific American 's articles about important new medical technologies just around the corner and in the more distant future, as mentioned in the May 2012 issue...

Revealed: How Cold War Scientists Joined Forces to Conquer Polio

While the superpowers were busy threatening to destroy each other with nuclear weapons, Albert B. Sabin turned to a surprising ally to test his new oral polio vaccine—a Soviet scientist...

Homegrown Lab-Ware Made with 3D Printer

'Smart' containers can be customized to drive chemical reactions

Mood Drug Can Both Cause and Relieve Anxiety

Hormone's opposite effects underscore the complexities of mood disorders

Chinese Medicine Herbs Found to Contain Ingredients Derived from Endangered Animals

Food and drug regulatory agencies might consideradopting sequencing techniques to screen herbal medicines for ingredientsthat are toxic or derived from vulnerable organisms, a geneticist says...

Fathomable Pharmaceuticals: Will Cameron's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Yield Breakthrough Drugs?

The moviemaker's expedition to the Mariana Trench could usher in a new type of undersea lab that extracts chemical compounds from microorganisms living in the deepest parts of the sea

Biological Clock Ticks Despite Technology

Women who wish to conceive later in life have benefited from improvements in reproductive technology. But even those have expiration dates. Katherine Harmon reports

Patent Watch

Proprioceptive feedback system

Nanorama: Graphene Bubbles Showcase Liquids with Atomic-Scale Resolution

Ultrathin carbon sheets can shield fluids from the vacuum conditions inside electron microscopes, offering an innovative way of viewing specimens in solution

Drug-Resistant Malaria Spreads, Scientists Hunt Down Genetic Causes

The parasite that causes malaria is becoming immune to artemisinin, the most effective drug. Pinpointing the resistance genes could offer a way to beat back the disease

How Useful Is Whole Genome Sequencing to Predict Disease?

Few diseases have strong enough genetic components to make sequencing a solid way to assess individual risk

World Repository of Human Genetics Will Move to Amazon's Cloud

The 200-terabyte 1,000 Genomes Project data will now be stored for free, although analytic computing resources will come at a price

Microbial Mules: Engineering Bacteria to Transport Nanoparticles and Drugs

Bacteria are exquisite living machines that could one day deliver medicine to cells in the human body, if scientists overcome the numerous obstacles

Vatican Calls Off Stem-Cell Conference

A Monsignor and Officer for Studies at the Pontifical Academy for Life called the cancellation a "sad event." Attendees are set to receive an official explanation

Buzz Kill: Self-Dissolving Tinnitus Treatment Gives New Hope

The Pentagon searches for technology to treat tinnitus, characterized by a persistent ringing in the ears and suffered by one in 10 U.S. adults and 40 percent of all veterans

April 2012 Briefing Memo

Biologist Resurrects Prehistoric Proteins

Joe Thornton brings to life proteins that have been extinct for hundreds of millions of years, rebutting intelligent design with his findings

Mouse 'Avatars' Could Aid in Pancreatic Cancer Therapy

Personalized mouse models may lead to tailored and more effective drug treatments for patients