Observers have documented multiple animal species using plants for self-medicinal purposes, such as great apes eating plants that treat parasitic infections or rubbing vegetation on sore muscles. But a wild orangutan recently displayed something never observed before—he treated his own open wound by activating a plant’s medical properties using his own spit. As detailed in […]
Doctors recorded brainwaves to finally ‘see’ their patients’ chronic pain
Everyone has different perceptions of pain. Some can sit for hours getting tattooed for an arm sleeve, while others squirm at having their finger pricked. Because pain is subjective, doctors have a hard time evaluating and treating patients who are dealing with it chronically. Now, neurologists have successfully used a person’s brain signals to predict […]
AI isn’t ready to act as a doctors’ assistant
This article was originally featured on KFF Health News. What use could health care have for someone who makes things up, can’t keep a secret, doesn’t really know anything, and, when speaking, simply fills in the next word based on what’s come before? Lots, if that individual is the newest form of artificial intelligence, according to […]
A once-forgotten antibiotic could be a new weapon against drug-resistant infections
Doctors may have a new tool to protect patients against multi-drug resistant bacterial infections. But the new defense against increasingly difficult-to-treat bacteria isn’t a brand new development—it is an 80 year-old antibiotic. A study published May 16 in the open access journal PLOS Biology looked at a natural product made in soil called nourseothricin that […]
Your guide to COVID testing for the unforeseeable future
COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency in the US. The Biden administration’s deadline follows the World Health Organization’s announcement last week that removed COVID’s status as a global health crisis. Infectious disease experts tell Popular Science that it’s an encouraging step and a sign that we are in a very different place than […]
This soft robotic skull implant could change epilepsy treatment
After being approached by a neurosurgeon seeking a less invasive method to treat conditions that require a brain implant, a team of researchers at Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne led by neurotechnology expert Stephanie Lacour started working. They took inspiration from soft robots to create a large cortical electrode array that can squeeze through […]
A tiny patch can take images of muscles and cells underneath your skin
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have invented an adhesive, elastic patch capable of performing ultrasounds—but don’t expect any baby pictures just yet. Even without the social media fodder, the new wearable technology could soon provide an extremely useful tool for a wide array of medical monitoring procedures. As detailed in a paper […]
A cutting-edge appetite stimulator was inspired by the thorny devil lizard
Your stomach is extremely moody—at any given time, a complex interplay of factors such as hormone production and various neurological signals can leave you feeling hungry, overstuffed, excited, or nauseous. These experiences stem directly from the enteric nervous system (ENS), which controls gastrointestinal tract functions along a path known as the gut-brain axis. The ENS […]
5 skin cancer-care tools you should look out for
Ozone is like Earth’s natural sunscreen, protecting living things from the sun’s harsh UV rays. But this sunscreen is running out. Greenhouse gases are thinning out the ozone layer, and our skin is starting to pay the price. According to the World Health Organization, losing an extra 10 percent of ozone levels will cause an […]