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India is polio-free
It has been three years since a case of polio was reported in India. That's the period of time the World Health Organization requires a country to go without anyone catching polio before declaring itself polio-free. It's a come-from-behind victory for the country, which was considered an Read More...
Solar and hydrogen powered cars show promise at electronics show debut
We’re all familiar with hybrid cars that run on a combination of energy and gasoline. But when will the next generation of energy efficient cars make its way to our nation’s highways? Earlier this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, two cars debuted that take the idea of hybrid Read More...
New guidelines scale back recommendations for blood pressure medication
New blood pressure treatment guidelines in the U.S. have raised the threshold at which people over 60 are advised to start medication—meaning that fewer people should be prescribed antihypertensive (blood pressure lowering) drugs in the new year. The previous guidelines on the management of high Read More...
Tower of power
Martin Lindsay, a London-based businessman, parked his Jaguar in the wrong spot. He left it for several hours beneath a concave skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street, and came back to find that the sun, reflected off the building, had melted his car. We have much to gain from Lindsay’s misfortune. A Read More...
Renewables come in from the cold
If you're in the U.S. (with the possible exception of California), you probably noticed it's cold this week. But while Americans endure the cold snap—yes, that's an understatement—other parts of the world are undergoing a heat wave. And although The Onion is defeatist, countries around the Read More...
A key to light
If it weren’t for the sun—that is, light—we wouldn’t exist. Light is the essence of life. We eat it, in converted form; plants absorb light and use it to produce fruit. Indian Ayurvedic medicine centers on prana—life energy—which, the tradition holds, consists primarily of light. The Read More...
Soda linked to increasing endometrial cancer risk
Sugar-sweetened beverages like soda and sweetened fruit drinks have long been associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Now a new study has concluded that they also increase the risk of endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women. Endometrial cancer rates are rising worldwide; it is now the Read More...
Best. Year. Ever.
They can tell you anything about 2013. That it was a miserable year because of the ongoing crisis, the NSA leaks or the violence in Syria and Egypt. More than 10 million people in the Philippines were victimized by a typhoon. Of course, they’re right: 2013 was horrible. But don’t forget all the Read More...
Neurotherapy: The solution for your New Year’s resolutions
Remember what you promised yourself on New Year’s Day? The problem is that, a few weeks from now, most of us won’t. Next month most resolutions will be distant memories, gone from our daily routines. Why is that? The explanation is that we are hard-wired against change. And there are good and Read More...
Printers and guns used to cure blindness and burns
Lose your sight, print an eye. Get burned, spray on new skin. What seems like strange scenarios from a sci-fi movie are closer to reality then you might think. Researchers from John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair at the University of Cambridge have recently printed cells that are used to Read More...