World’s first full body 3D scanner produces amazing live images of the human body
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Medical scanners haven’t advanced much in decades, this new scanner is faster, higher resolution and produces insights into the human body not possible using today’s technology. Recently I talked about a new innovation that lets doctors create movies of the behaviour of cells in...
Birth of genetically engineered twins resistant to HIV causes global outrage
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Imagine growing old and never experiencing what it’s like to be ill because you were genetically engineered in the womb to be resistant to all known pathogens and viruses, technology is starting to make that a reality. A little while ago I wrote about...
World first as scientists re-grow a frogs amputated leg using a “silk bioreactor”
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Some of us are unfortunate enough to loose a limb, or multiple limbs, and one day this technology, and technologies like it, could help us regrow them. Like something, out of a science fiction movie or everyone’s favourite “Merc with a mouth”, Deadpool, researchers...
Breakthrough healthcare test screens for all known diseases at once
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Up until know hospitals have had to run multiple tests to identify multiple pathogens, which takes time and can cost lives, now they just need one. Imagine being able to use one test to screen for every type of known and unknown human disease...
A new blood test can tell what time it is in your body
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Certain drugs have to be delivered at certain times, and as we start to use nanomachines to release drugs telling the time in someone’s body becomes vitally important. Recently I wrote about new simple blood tests that can detect cancer and chronic pain, and now...
Synthetic biology just got its own special programming language
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to create and control discrete chemical and biological processes and reactions is extremely difficult, this new language aims to simplify it, alot. Synthetic biology is an exciting new field of research that applies engineering principles to biology, and so far it’s being used...
Human mini brains grown in a lab integrated with live mice brains
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As our ability to re-code and “improve” on nature improves so too will our ability to produce new human organs in new ways. The future of personalized medicine will very likely involve human “spare parts,” whether they’re 3D printed on demand, grown on demand...
FDA approves first spray on skin treatment for burns
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Treating third degree burns today often involves skin grafts and more pain for the patient, spray on skin will put an end to that misery. Over the past couple of years we’ve gotten increasingly good at 3D printing human skin and making artificial skin...
Neural implants let military pilots control three jets at once with their minds
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The future of warfare is digital and telepathic, and both types of warfare are now starting to enter the mainstream. Asides from the fact we are increasingly entering the world where brains meets brawn, literally, and where, future cyber warriors will telepathically roam the...
World first as scientists just turn human blood cells into human eggs
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Biology keeps surprising us, and scientists are finding amazing new ways to treat infertility and create new life. Scientists at Kyoto University in Japan have announced they’ve made significant progress in the quest to combat infertility by creating the precursor to a human egg cell in a...
Telepathic warfare takes center stage as US military bets big on neuro tech
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Today’s brain machine interfaces are rudimentary or require invasive surgery, this program could bring brain interfaces to the masses and be the next step in human-technological evolution. Until now the advanced and cutting edge neuroscience programs at DARPA, the self proclaimed mad science wing...
US military starts trialling robotic surgeons in the battlefield
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to monitor the health of soliders in battle will help keep them at peak efficiency, and military robot surgeons will help save lives on the battlefield. Keeping soldiers healthy has always been a struggle but there may soon be a high tech solution after US...
Revolutionary injectable brain implant restores mobility in paralysed patients
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF People with paralysis or nervous disorders could soon be regaining their movement thanks to a revolutionary new form of wireless brain machine interface. Imagine if a tiny matchstick sized brain implant could circumvent damaged spinal cords and help paralysed people, and anyone for that...
“No cut CRISPR” breakthrough lets scientists turn genes on and off at will
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to precisely turn genes on and off “at will” will revolutionise personal medicine and bring about the creation of new revolutionary healthcare treatments. The gene editing tool CRISPR is one of the most exciting developments in modern genetics, for example recently it...
Editing living memories demonstrated for the first time
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF We all have memories we’d like to change, keep, or even, perhaps, edit, embellish, or erase, and now the technology to do all of these and more, including correcting blindness and reversing dementia, has just been demonstrated in living subjects. Recently scientists transferred memories...
Revolutionary blood test lets doctors see chronic pain in colour
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF We all suffer from pain now and again, but for chronic pain sufferers the condition can leave them feeling depressed, disheartened, and isolated, this new test that lets people see pain could be a game changer. Around 100 million Americans are in pain right now. Chronic...
Scientists successfully transferred memories between two snails
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The brain still has many mysteries, memory formation being one of them, but breakthroughs in epigenetics and neuroscience are starting to unravel them and it could lead to new sci-fi like capabilities and revolutionary new healthcare treatments. A lot has been going on in...
Scientists steered nanomachines through living cells and wrote letters in cytoplasm
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF In the future we will increasingly rely on tiny machines to help monitor our health, and diagnose and cure disease, and being able to control and direct them will be crucial. It’s probably high time for you to forget your outdated belief that tomorrow’s nanomachines...
Researchers record first ever HD movies of cells moving through the living body
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to watch cells move under the microscope isn’t the same as being able to observe them in their natural environment, and this breakthrough will lead to a better understanding of cell biology and help create new revolutionary medical treatments. In 2016 we...
Diagnose the onset of dementia using your voice and this smartphone app
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to diagnose cognitive conditions using just a smartphone, even if you have no formal access to healthcare, will help millions of people catch the signs of dementia earlier, meaning they can seek treatment sooner. WinterLight Labs in the US have just announced...
