Archive for the 'Health' Category
MIT Researchers Create Glucose Powered Fuel Cell for Medical Implants
June 14th, 2012Via: MIT: MIT engineers have developed a fuel cell that runs on the same sugar that powers human cells: glucose. This glucose fuel cell could be used to drive highly efficient brain implants of the future, which could help paralyzed patients move their arms and legs again.
Sweden: Narcolepsy Traced to Specific Vaccine Batches
June 13th, 2012Via: The Local: A new Swedish study shows that all Swedes who developed narcolepsy from the swine flu vaccine Pandemrix received the vaccine from 12 of the 35 batches, despite the Swedish Medical Products Agency’s (Läkemedelsverket) previous claim that no such connection exists. “We will have to think again,” said Maria Szirmai of the Swedish […]
Freezer Failure at Harvard, ‘Could Slow Autism Research by a Decade’
June 11th, 2012Via: Boston Globe: A freezer malfunction at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital has severely damaged one-third of the world’s largest collection of autism brain samples, potentially setting back research on the disorder by years, scientists say. An official at the renowned brain bank in Belmont discovered that the freezer had shut down in late May, without triggering […]
Australia: Mental Illness Check for Toddlers
June 10th, 2012Oh sure. Via: The Age: THREE-YEAR-OLDS will be screened for early signs of mental illness in a new federal government program that uses behaviours such as sleeping with the light on, having temper tantrums or extreme shyness as signs of possible psychological problems. The ”Healthy Kids Check” will be predominantly conducted by GPs, with children […]
High Blood Caffeine Levels in Older Adults Linked to Avoidance of Alzheimer’s Disease
June 7th, 2012Medicine. Via: Alpha Galileo Foundation: Those cups of coffee that you drink every day to keep alert appear to have an extra perk – especially if you’re an older adult. A recent study monitoring the memory and thinking processes of people older than 65 found that all those with higher blood caffeine levels avoided the […]
Japan: Millions of Tons of Radioactive Rubble
June 5th, 2012Via: The Atlantic: Disposing the more than 20 million tons of rubble caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami is proving to be a difficult problem for Japan, not least because much of the rubble has been irradiated by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The government’s plan — to destroy 4 million tons of potentially […]
Paleo Diet Blogger vs. North Carolina
May 31st, 2012Via: Institute for Justice: Can the government throw you in jail for offering advice on the Internet about what food people should buy at the grocery store? That is exactly the claim made by the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition. In December 2011, diabetic blogger Steve Cooksey started a Dear Abby-style advice column on his […]
Japan: Mobile Phone with Geiger Counter
May 30th, 2012I’m surprised that it took so long to appear. Via: Wired: Following Fukushima’s nuclear disaster, Japanese citizens have been especially wary of radiation exposure. SoftBank on Tuesday revealed a new smartphone to answer such concerns. The company’s Pantone 5 107SH is the world’s first phone with a built-in geiger counter, capable of measuring radiation levels […]
Stubborn Infection, Spread by Insects, Called ‘The New AIDS of the Americas’
May 29th, 2012I’ve never heard of this. Via: New York Times: Chagas disease, caused by parasites transmitted to humans by blood-sucking insects, has been named “the new AIDS of the Americas” in a lengthy editorial published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Wikipedia: Chagas Disease
Tepco Admits Fukushima Disaster Released 2.5 Times More Radiation Than Indicated by Initial Government Lies
May 29th, 2012Imagine my shock. But if they’re admitting this, what is the real number? Via: Reuters: The radiation released in the first days of the Fukushima nuclear disaster was almost 2-1/2 times the amount first estimated by Japanese safety regulators, the operator of the crippled plant said in a report released on Thursday. Tokyo Electric Power […]
