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.
Spinach could be the key to clean fuel
Take a break, Kale: this is a job for the original gross-tasting super-healthy green veg. Yep, Popeye’s old favourite, Spinach, is being studied for its ability to turn sunlight into a clean, efficient fuel. An international group of physicists led by Petra Fromme, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Arizona State University, is experimenting…
We could see STD-killing condoms soon
As I’m sure you know, condoms don’t only prevent pregnancy and give you the edge when an impromptu water balloon fight breaks out, they also protect against sexually transmitted diseases. But you might not be aware that they’re about to get a lot better at it, thanks to an Australian biotech firm called Starpharma. They’ve…
Are liquid hard drives the future of storage?
Maybe I'm a wimp, but it's starting to seem like some scientists have a death wish. I was always taught that water and electronics were best kept faaaaaaaaaaaaar away from each other, but first researchers decided that dew could one day be used to recharge phones, and now they're looking at whether liquids could play…
This photographer turned spam emails into art
If you’re at all influenced by emotional blackmail and have ever almost been convinced that a Nigerian prince really will give you a share of his fortune if you just let him borrow your bank account for 24 hours, you might want to avoid this exhibition that brings junk emails poignantly to life. Instead of…
Will avatars be the models of the future?
Step aside, Gisele. You too, Miranda, Kate, and Adriana. The huge salaries, diva-like demands and actual human bodies of supermodels could soon be a thing of the past. That’s what two scientists from Manchester Metropolitan University reckon, anyway. Andrew Brownridge and Peter Twigg have published a study in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology…
Low-frequency shock treatment could treat depression
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as shock therapy, is still often shown as something terrifying and torturous that can mangle your brain and turn you into a blabbering fool. But while decades ago it was used without regard for patients’ pain thresholds or desire to retain memories, these days it’s a more civilised affair actually…
NHS tests patient-monitoring Wi-Fi patches
First we told you about smart bandages, now plasters get their turn to show off. The NHS is about to trial a small, wireless patch designed to monitor patients’ health. Made by Oxford-based firm Sensium Healthcare, the plaster-sized patch is battery-powered and stuck on just above the heart, where it collects information on pulse, breathing…
Now Facebook’s annoyed William Shatner
He may be everyone's favourite eccentric granddad, but the OG Captain Kirk isn't such a fan of Facebook after trying out their Mentions app and finding it lacking. In the first content post on his new Tumblr, Shatner Specials, the actor/singer/gravel-voiced icon details his experience of using the iOS app, which (ironically given his impassioned…
Sound could be the key to better cancer diagnosis
We usually think of medical tests as involving sight or touch, but it turns out that in some cases, sound might provide a faster way to get a diagnosis – without invasive procedures or the need for a specialist referral. A study from research network GÉANT, Birmingham City University, and the University of Central Lancashire…
Scientists use 3D printed tissue to study cells
Scientist Guohao Dai, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the U.S, has won the Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation for his research into making replicated human tissues using 3D printing. Unlike the cells in the body, most lab cultures are 2D, which…
