A $1,000 computer will match processing speed of the human brain – 20 billion calculations per second – by 2020. By 2030, it will simulate the brain power of a small village about 1,000 human minds. By 2048, it will have the brain power of the entire population of the U.S.
Continue reading… “Within 30 years the computer will replace the human doctor”
IBM’s Watson can beat Ken Jennings at Jeopardy, tell you about your city, and dream up recipes for delectable delicacies. Watson is now doing something even more important than all previous capabilities combined — it’s finally getting closer to becoming your doctor.
Continue reading… “IBM’s Watson is finally getting closer to becoming your doctor”
3D-printed widgets and other medical novelties clearly illustrate the potential of 3D printing. They are set to radically change the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. With its extreme versatility and inherent ability to customize products, many experts believe that 3D printing will finally blow the field of affordable personalized medicine wide open. Yet so far it’s been mostly hope — and plenty of hype — with little sign that the radical technology might actually become a medical mainstay.
One recent afternoon, Christine Ryan didn’t head to the doctor’s office or emergency room when her ear was aching; she went to her local CVS store in Cambridge.
Continue reading… “Walk-in clinics forcing traditional health care providers to rethink”
If you have a fear of needles the VeinViewer will relieve you of that fear. The device uses harmless, near-infrared light to show precisely where veins are located and take the guesswork out of finding a vein.
Continue reading… “VeinViewer shows where patient’s veins are located”
August 2008, Tony Wyss-Coray waited for his lab’s weekly meeting to begin at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, California. Wyss-Coray, a professor of neurology at Stanford University, was leading a young group of researchers who studied ageing and neurodegeneration. As a rule, the gatherings were forgettable affairs – the incremental nature of scientific progress does not lend itself to big surprises. But a lab member scheduled to speak that day had taken on a radical project, and he had new results to share.
Continue reading… “Can old age be reversed by infusing blood from the young?”
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel and the University of Colorado have developed a dynamic anti-inflammatory “smart” drug that can target specific sites in the body and could enhance the body’s natural ability to fight infection while reducing side effects.
Continue reading… “Anti-inflammatory ‘smart drug’ activates only in high-inflammation areas”
Between 2000 and 2013, robotic surgeons were involved in the deaths of 144 people, according to records kept by the FDA. There are some forms of robotic surgery that are much riskier than others: the death rate for head, neck, and cardiothoracic surgery is almost 10 times higher than for other forms of surgery.
Continue reading… “Robotic surgery involved in 144 deaths in the U.S. since 2000”
Strapping electrodes to your head and running a small amount of electrical current through it can actually help your brain perform better, according to a growing body of scientific evidence. Continue reading… “The future of therapy: DIY brain shocking?”
The traditional way patients interact with their doctors has changed thanks to the internet. Many patients are querying their symptoms on internet search engines. Searching knowledge databases with focus on medicine has become a common practice. But soon, the field of medicine is going to change beyond recognition. Your.MD, a new UK startup may be a real threat for all-purpose medical practitioners.
Continue reading… “Your.MD’s artificial intelligence may soon eliminate the family doctor”
Oregon State University researchers have discovered a new link between cognitive functioning and gut bacteria. In recent years the science involving bacteria in the gut and its link to health and cognitive functioning has boomed. Parkinson’s disease has even been linked to changes in gut bacteria. Published in the journal Neuroscience, a new study shows that diets high in fat and sugar are probably impacting cognitive functioning, because of their impact on the type of bacteria that thrive on high-fat and high-sugar diets. Continue reading… “Amazing connection between gut bacteria and cognitive functioning”
Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital congenital heart experts have successfully integrated two common imaging techniques to produce a three-dimensional anatomic model of a patient’s heart. Continue reading… “First 3D heart printed using multiple imaging techniques”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.