Author: Diane Shipley

Staff Writer Diane is especially interested in high-tech medical advances, weird and interesting uses of science, new gadgets, and the intersection of tech and lifestyle. When not working, she reads the internet, listens to podcasts, watches American TV, and thinks about leaving the house.

Tiny gold balls can kill brain cancer cells

New research suggests that gold could be the key to killing off brain cancer. Scientists from Cambridge University made miniature golden balls (not that kind) and coated each one with cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug. Then they infused those into cancer cells taken from patients and used conventional radiotherapy on them. This activated the gold to…

The iFootpath app wants to get Britain walking

Sure, maps apps are functional, but they tend to be impersonal. And when it comes to walking, especially in the countryside, you don’t want to know that you’ll need to turn south-east in 2.5 kilometres, you want to know that you turn left after the pub with the ceramic chickens outside. (Or whatever.) The newly-released…

Could this sweat-powered tattoo power our gadgets?

In future, if you want to turn on your phone, you might have to start paying. In sweat. Yes, as unladylike as it might sound (everyone knows we only glow), researchers from the University of California in San Diego have come up with a temporary tattoo that can power electronics based on how sweaty you…

Wearables could monitor Parkinson’s patients in real time

The Michael J Fox Foundation has teamed up with Intel to test using wearable technology to keep track of the symptoms of Parkinson's. Earlier in the year, the charity ran a small trial monitoring the symptoms of 16 people with the disease using Intel’s Basis smartwatch. This collected a gigabyte of data per patient every…

New exhibition suggests selfies are ruining culture

We've already touched on some of the problems with selfies: snapping them during funerals and plane crashes is insensitive, and if a monkey takes one with your camera, you could find yourself in a real copyright quandary. But some people think that at their worst, selfies are more than self-centred and a little irritating. They…

Now computers can predict heart attacks more quickly than doctors

The team behind a new algorithm claims that it can predict someone’s chance of having a heart attack up to four hours before doctors see the early warning signs. Heart attacks are hard to forecast, but doctors rely on a scorecard system called the Modified Early Warning Score which looks at indications like a patient’s…

Scientists have grown their own 3D brain tissue (that actually works)

Scientists have created lab-grown 3D tissue that resembles a human brain and can replicate some of its functions. Not only that, but they’ve kept it alive for over two months. (Which should probably strike me as a bit creepy, but I’ll be honest – after lunch some days, I could do with a few extra…

Why do 40% of female engineers leave the profession?

Only 11% of engineers are women, and the problem isn’t just that girls have traditionally been encouraged into artistic, caring, and administrative careers rather than STEM ones. Women make up 20% of engineering students but a new study has found that of those women who obtain a degree, almost 40% either leave the profession quickly…

These ultra-thin new nanosheets can protect against infection

Japanese researchers have developed a new, extra thin material called a nanosheet that covers and clings to wounds in order to accelerate healing and prevent infection. It will be particularly useful for burns victims, whose injuries need to be protected from exposure to air in order to avoid bacteria. Yosuke Okamura and his team from…