by Alfred Poor | September 16, 2015 | Health, Medical
For the average person, the loss of a hand or arm can be an enormous physical and emotional challenge. Unfortunately, our military forces have to deal with this problem far too often. For this reason, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) spends a lot...
by Alfred Poor | September 2, 2015 | Medical
The vocabulary word for today is “optogenetics.” It refers to a process that uses light to control living neurons that are light-sensitive. The neurons contain photosensitive proteins, either through selective breeding or through the use of viruses that...
by Alfred Poor | July 8, 2015 | Health
If you are of a certain age, you may remember “mood rings.” These devices had heat-sensitive liquid crystal layers that would change color, with the idea being that your skin temperature would reflect your mood. A group named Team Turquoise has taken a...
by Alfred Poor | June 24, 2015 | Medical
Parkinson’s is an incurable degenerative disease of the nervous system. More than 1 million patients in the U.S. are affected by the disease, and more than 7 million worldwide. Symptoms include tremors, muscle stiffness, and slowed movement. Some prescription...
by Alfred Poor | June 19, 2015 | Health
According to some sources, as many as 100 million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic pain. This can be treated in a variety of ways, including medication, but these treatments are not always effective. NeuroMetrix is a spin-off from the Harvard-MIT Division of...