October 2018 – Page 8

Biotech, Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough, Solar Power, Wearables

Japan’s new solar-powered “Second Skin” device revolutionizes wearable tech

October 2, 2018

It looks more like a band-aid than a watch.

Advances in wearable tech have been pretty impressive lately, but the device described in a new Nature study blows the competition out of the water. While the Apple Watch is now equipped with an FDA-approved EKG sensor and companies like Samsung are going out of their way to make smartwatches look like fashion statements, the device described in the paper, published Wednesday, puts both to shame. This heart-sensing device has no wires, requires no charging, and is so small that it can wrap around a rat’s heart.

Study co-author Kenjiro Fukuda, Ph.D., a research scientist at Japan’s RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science is quick to say that his device represents a big step forward for wearables. It looks more like a band-aid than a watch, and it’s thinner than a piece of cardboard.

Continue reading… “Japan’s new solar-powered “Second Skin” device revolutionizes wearable tech”

Health & Fitness, Human Behavior, Latest Trend, New Viewpoints

The ‘blood boy’ clinic is coming to NYC so rich people can live forever

October 2, 2018

The way Dr. Jesse Karmazin sees it, New York City needs some fresh blood.

It’s been over a year since we last heard from the physician behind Ambrosia LLC, the company hoping to reverse aging by pumping adults with the blood plasma of the young, but don’t think for a second that Karmazin’s been sitting still. Far from it.

Karmazin confirmed today over email that he plans to transform what was once a clinical trial running out of Monterey, California, into a full-fledged New York City-based clinic offering that most elusive of products: youth.

And you’d better believe it will cost you.

Continue reading… “The ‘blood boy’ clinic is coming to NYC so rich people can live forever”

Latest Trend, Legalized marijuana, New Discoveries, Science & Technology News

The next big thing in cannabis? Terpenes

October 1, 2018

The future of the industry is all in the nose.

Looking for a new angle to approach the cannabis business? While medical and lifestyle entrepreneurs have been honing in on the active cannabinoids, like THC and CBD, it turns out the real soul of the plant has been right under our noses.

Terpenes are the future of cannabis. These organic, aromatic compounds exist naturally in the essential oils of all plants — they’re what give herbs, flowers, and fruits their signature aromas. But terpenes are also the specific reason why various strains of cannabis affect the body and mind in subtly different ways.

Continue reading… “The next big thing in cannabis? Terpenes”

Analysis, Children, DNA

In the 23 and Me era, kids of sperm donors are finding each other

October 1, 2018

Imaging discovering you have a half-sibling you’ve never met—or dozens of them. Customers of genetic-information services are uncovering family secrets, and then using social networks to make connections..

When you use 23andMe’s DNA Relatives feature, you get a message cautioning you that the information you’re about to see could be unexpected. For Danny-J Johnson, that couldn’t have been more of an understatement.

Continue reading… “In the 23 and Me era, kids of sperm donors are finding each other”

Biotech, Engineering, Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough

Two people with paralysis walk again using an implanted device

October 1, 2018

‘It was like watching fireworks, but from the inside’

After Kelly Thomas’ truck flipped with her inside of it in 2014, she was told that she probably would never walk again. Now, with help from a spinal cord implant that she’s nicknamed “Junior,” Thomas is able to walk on her own.

Thomas and Jeff Marquis, who was paralyzed after a mountain biking accident, can now independently walk again after participating in a study at the University of Louisville that was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Thomas’ balance is still off and she needs a walker, but she can walk a hundred yards across grass. She also gained muscle and lost the nerve pain in her foot that has persisted since her accident. Another unnamed person with a spinal cord injury can now independently step across the ground with help from a trainer, according to a similar study at the Mayo Clinic that was also published today in the journal Nature Medicine.

Continue reading… “Two people with paralysis walk again using an implanted device”