Activation of the left cerebral hemisphere during sensory stimulation of the transplanted right palm.  
Four months after a successful hand transplant — 35 years after amputation in an industrial accident at age 19 — a 54-year-old man’s emerging sense of touch is registered in the former “hand area” of the his brain, says a University of […]

 
 Stem cells from adult human testes normally produce only sperm, but when cultured in the lab with special growth factors, they begin to resemble embryonic stem cells and can differentiate into many adult cell types.
Stem cells from human testes could be used for personalized medicine.  Adult stem cells that behave much like embryonic ones […]

 Cylindrical solar cells, which can be arranged in rows to make solar panels,
are particularly suited for generating power atop commercial buildings.
A startup is selling cylindrical solar cells that can generate more power than conventional panels.

Humanoid Robot
Developed a few years ago by the roboticists at Osaka University, the Repliee R-1 robot made a rare public appearance at last week’s CEATEC conference in Tokyo. (Video)

Media Port UP
Nikon has unveiled the latest, and perhaps the best, in Borg wanna-be accessories called the Media Port UP. The multimedia headset allows users to view video (up to 120 minutes of uninterrupted playback), and listen to music (up to 270 minutes of uninterrupted playback) via its 4 gigabyte or 8 gigabyte internal harddrive. […]

 
Holographic television sets may be only a few years off thanks to a new breakthrough in 3D technology. Researchers at the University of Arizona said they had made the first updatable 3D displays with memory, a prerequisite for getting any holographic image to move. With the new technology, displays can now be erased and rewritten […]

 
Sleeping in a room with a fan lowers a baby’s risk of sudden infant death syndrome by 72 percent, a new study has found.

 
Scientists have discovered a gene mutation linked to the most common cause of blindness in the developed world, holding out the prospect of better treatments and perhaps eventually a cure.

 MyKey controlled by a computer chip in the key, that allows parents to limit the car’s
speeds to 80 mph and set a maximum volume for the audio system on some 2010 models.
So you think junior is a little too lead-footed when he drives the family car? Starting next year, Ford Motor Co. will give you […]

Zapping frozen meals in the microwave may be fast and easy, but it also can make you sick if it’s not done properly.
That message has been slow to catch on, despite a spate of illnesses last year from improperly microwaved frozen foods. On Sunday, the government issued a new warning urging consumers to thoroughly cook […]

Medical Breakthrough for Down’s Syndrome Testing
Thanks to two new genetic tests, a drop of mother’s blood could soon be all it takes to say if an unborn baby has Down’s syndrome.

The Dallol Volcano is a strange piece of nature’s artwork
Sulfur, salt, and other minerals color the crater of Dallol Volcano, part of the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia. At 157 feet (48 meters) below sea level, Dallol is Earth’s lowest land volcano. Many of these photos look like they were taken from a different planet. (Pics)

 
 Brazilian Acai Berry
A Brazilian palm berry, popular health food though little research has been done on it, now may have its purported benefits better understood. In the first research involving people, the acai (ah-sigh-EE) berry has proven its ability to be absorbed in the human body when consumed both as juice and pulp. That finding, […]

 
Asthmatic children whose parents have high expectations for their ability to function normally are less likely to have symptoms than other children dealing with the condition, according to a new study. Children also are more likely to use asthma controller medications appropriately if they have a routine for taking medicine and if their parents clearly […]

 
Media bias, is it fixable?
While the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal is conservative, the newspaper’s news pages are liberal, even more liberal than The New York Times. The Drudge Report may have a right-wing reputation, but it leans left. Coverage by public television and radio is conservative compared to the rest of the […]

Space Elevator
The project is a “space elevator,” and some experts now believe that the concept is well within the bounds of possibility — maybe even within our lifetimes. (Pics)
 

 
 
Employees who take long spells of sick leave more than once in three years are at a higher risk of death than their colleagues who take no such absence, particularly if their absence is due to circulatory or psychiatric problems or for surgery, concludes a study on the British Medical Journal website.

 Researchers at Battelle used off-the-shelf optical telecommunication
components to create a faster millimeter-wave device.
There’s no shortage of demand for faster wireless, but today’s fastest technologies–Wi-Fi, 3G cellular networks, and even the upcoming WiMax–max out at tens or hundreds of megabits per second. So far, no commercial wireless system can beat the raw speed of optical fiber, […]

 
Consider a natural alternative the next time you reach for that cupcake or soda as an afternoon snack. This snack leaves you feeling full, gives you energy, and simultaneously fights “bad”-LDL-cholesterol.

 
 Deep Flight Challenger
Unbeknownst to most of the world, the late super rich adventurer Steve Fossett had started work on an amazing flying submersible that would one day theoretically touch the stars. More importantly, however, was that the design would have allowed adventurers and scientists alike (and most importantly Fossett himself, of course) to venture into […]

 
Reading the right type of novel may be an enjoyable way to reduce weight, according to a recent study.

 
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is “a proposed ground-based 6.7 meter effective diameter (8.4 meter primary mirror), 10 square-degree-field telescope that will provide digital imaging of faint astronomical objects across the entire sky, night after night.” What’s that mean? Well, it means, if it’s built, we’ll have a telescope attempting to catalog the entire […]

 Flexible Display
Flexible displays that are bigger, brighter, and cheaper could be made using a new approach that involves exciting fluorescent chemicals embedded in the screen with an infrared laser.

 
 Chinese Buffet
When dining at Chinese Buffets, overweight individuals serve themselves and eat differently than normal weight individuals. This may lead them to overeat, according to a recent study by Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab. Compared to normal weight diners, overweight individuals sat 16 feet closer to the buffet, faced the food, used larger plates, […]

 Affairs can be deadly
Men, beware! An extra-marital affair can do more than just killing your marriage — it could kill you too, particularly if you are prone to bad headaches.