Mobile medical microrobots can now be engineered in the lab for broad ranging applications from personalized disease treatment to targeted drug delivery. During their structural design, bioengineers aim to minimize physical interactions with cells of the immune system by optimizing the morphology (shape) of the device and its surface chemistry. It is therefore important to […]
Is it safe to go to the gym during the coronavirus pandemic?
Is it safe to go to the gym during the coronavirus pandemic? It depends on where you live and the precautions you and the gym take. If cases of COVID-19 are poorly controlled where you live, experts say it’s best to stay away. But if you live in an area where the spread is being […]
The boy who broke almost every bone in his body – but didn't feel pain
Mysteries of the senses: The boy who broke almost every bone in his body – but didn’t feel any pain…and the man who ‘tastes’ sounds Paul Walters and sister Vicky were born with the disorder congenital analgesia It means messages carrying ‘warnings’ of pain in the brain are interrupted Only a few hundred people worldwide […]
Your guide to safer dining during the pandemic
(HealthDay)—Restaurant dining used to be a routine affair, but many now dread the thought of chowing down in a roomful of bare-faced strangers. So as state-level lockdowns wax and wane, how safe is it to dine at your favorite restaurant? There’s some risk, but with proper precautions you should be able to enjoy your meal […]
The coronavirus shows we should treat public health the same as public works
Natural disasters like earthquakes, floods and hurricanes reveal the little-noticed cracks in our physical infrastructure as buildings, highways, dams and other structures fail under the extraordinary stress. Similarly, the stresses of the coronavirus have revealed little-noticed cracks in our public health, social and community infrastructure that has suffered from under-investment. Public health agencies in many […]
South Africa surpasses the UK in confirmed coronavirus cases
South Africa on Tuesday surpassed the U.K. in its number of confirmed coronavirus cases as the country’s president warns of “the gravest crisis in the history of our democracy.” South Africa now has the world’s eighth-highest number of cases at 298,292, which represents nearly half of all the confirmed cases on the African continent. That’s […]
Why hydration is so important when hiking in the heat of summer
You don’t have to be an experienced trailblazer to know that if you choose to hike in the heat, you better be hydrated. Yet scientific literature on the subject reports that roughly 25% of heat-related illness cases are a result of a fluid imbalance, rather than heat exposure alone. New research out of Arizona State […]
Baby infected with COVID-19 in the womb: study
Doctors in France have described what they said was the first confirmed case of a newborn infected in the womb with COVID-19 by the mother. The baby boy, born in March, suffered brain swelling and neurological symptoms linked to COVID-19 in adults, but has since recovered, they reported Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications. Earlier […]
Your coping and resilience strategies might need to shift as the COVID-19 crisis continues
As people in the U.S. mark six months of coronavirus, the challenges of coping with life during a pandemic continue to evolve. Most recently, reopening of parts of society under unsettled conditions and lingering threat are creating formidable demands on individuals and communities. By looking at how people have reacted to mass traumas in the […]
Prosthetic limbs affect our attitudes to disability: Expressive design might change things for the better
Amputation can have a devastating effect on a person’s body image and sense of self. The use of prosthetic limbs may help, but when it comes to their appearance, options are often limited. The choice, if there is one, usually comes down to either a prosthesis with a realistic appearance that helps users hide the […]