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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »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), ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »This rechargeable battery is meant to be eaten
Around 3,500 Americans ingest batteries every year, according to the National Capital Poison Center. It’s apparently such a perennial issue that there’s even a specific hotline number to call in the event of such an emergency (1-800-498-8666, just in case). ...
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