Researchers in California have produced a cheap plastic capable of removing large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. Down the road, the new material could enable the development of large-scale batteries and even form the basis of “artificial … Continue reading
In 2007, as the world worried about a possible avian flu epidemic, Laurie Garrett, author of “The Coming Plague,” gave this powerful talk to a small TED University audience. Her insights from past pandemics are suddenly more relevant than ever. … Continue reading
A leading researcher says digital technologies are about to make health care more effective. But is so much data really beneficial? Nanosensors patrolling your bloodstream for the first sign of an imminent stroke or heart attack, releasing anticlotting or anti-inflammatory … Continue reading
A flexible electronic device stuck on the skin could provide irritation-free monitoring of heart, brain, and muscle activity. Researchers have made stretchable, ultrathin electronics that cling to skin like a temporary tattoo and can measure electrical activity from the body. … Continue reading
A couple of years ago I had never heard of TED.com, and somehow I stumbled across this TED.com video about the “10 things you didn’t know about orgasm”. Mary Roach, a science journalist, says a few things that blew my … Continue reading
In this video: At TEDMED, Sheila Nirenberg shows a bold way to create sight in people with certain kinds of blindness: by hooking into the optic nerve and sending signals from a camera direct to the brain.
The existing protocol, in which levels of CD4 white blood cells are used to determine when the disease has progressed enough to start treatment, is “an anachronism,” Michael Saag, an AIDS researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and … Continue reading