Science

Lest there be any doubt about the convergence of digital technology and the human body, consider this: a "bio-inkjet printer."

Carnegie Mellon scientists working on stem-cell research have developed a printer that uses "bio-ink," which Popular Mechanics describes as "solutions of hormones that alter cell behavior." In an article that sounds like natural sci-fi fodder, the magazine says the machine uses a custom-made nozzle that prints highly accurate patterns "to create a blueprint for cells to grow and differentiate into the various types that scientists want to create."

And why not? Manufacturing … Read more

If you think you can fool a breathalyzer by downing a whole tin of Altoids, don't bother (we have friends who've tried). Besides, testing for alcohol levels by breath may soon be a thing of the past thanks to newer technologies.

Take this machine from a company called TruTouch Technologies, for example, which tests for blood alcohol by analyzing the skin and can yield results in 30 seconds. Uber Review says the technology uses "infrared reflectance spectroscopy," which we're all familiar with, of course.

Just don't mistake it for a toy cash register, or … Read more

The invasion of the robots is heading into the sea.

Just a few days ago, we witnessed an underwater robot lumberjack that bore an unsettling resemblance to Spongebob Squarepants. Now the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum is showcasing a bionic lobster that is joining the denizens of the deep, mimicking its living counterparts for research purposes in coastal waters.

As Ubergizmo points out, the Crustastun may have finally met its match.

If necessity is truly the mother of invention, we must take an unusual step and thank the government for prompting the creation of this technology. As federal laws mandate the digitization of health records, technology companies such as BioMETRX have been figuring out ways to make that happen confidentially.

Its prototype "SmarSTIK-MD," for example, allows medical professionals to transfer data securely with a biometric USB storage key that uses fingerprint identification to its information, according to Ubergizmo. Other biometric devices such as palm readers can control access to material stored on computers but, given the track record of … Read more

The untrained eye may find some resemblance to Spongebob Squarepants, but this underwater lumberjack is far more useful and probably nowhere near as irritating. As surface dwellers continue to ravage the planet, we may need help increasingly from technologies like "the Sawfish," a 7,000-pound "underwater harvesting specialist"--or, as we would call it, a submarine that cuts down trees.

Proving once again our desperate ignorance on many subjects, we were surprised to learn that underwater forests are routinely created when hydroelectric dams are constructed and flood terrestrial timber that can still be harvested for decades … Read more

The virtual world Whyville has undertaken a novel approach to educating kids about the dangers of influenza and the preventative measures that can be taken to protect from it: giving users virtual flu shots.

The idea is to give "vaccinations" against the "Why-Flu," a made-up disease that is intended to simulate the spread of the common flu.

Coordinated by Whyville and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu vaccination initiative is seen as a way to help kids--the users of Whyville--see that the flu is dangerous but preventable.

"The citizens of … Read more

A new team of U.S. researchers will collaborate on building the world's smallest cancer-detection device, thanks to a $2 million grant from The National Cancer Institute.

Scientists at the University of Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) and Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine will study tumor "microenvironments," in which tumor cells often spread rapidly into surrounding tissues and cells, or what's called metastasis. For this environment, they plan to build a novel microchip assembled from nanoscale components, or material on the scale of molecules. When implanted in human tumors, … Read more

U.S. Army acoustical engineers have developed a new stethoscope that can outperform its electronic predecessors by detecting a human heartbeat in intensely noisy environments, such as inside a military helicopter, according to LiveScience. The development could ultimately help doctors save lives on the battlefield, according to Adrianus Houtsma, an acoustical engineer at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory in Fort Rucker, Ala., who lead the research.

Unlike others before it, the new stethoscope has a special head that can generate ultrasound waves, or sound frequencies that can cancel out external noises as high as 120 decibels. Background noise … Read more

Take that, pesky moms everywhere. A study presented at the annual study of the Radiological Society of North America has determined that a 90-degree upright sitting posture--you know, Miss Manners-style--might actually lead to back problems. According to the researchers, who are from the University of Alberta in Canada, the optimal sitting position is a nice 135-degree recline.

Maybe telecommuting from bed isn't such a bad idea after all.