An American scientist says he can improve people’s sight by stitching artificial muscle to the eyeball and squeezing it. The smart eye band could be turned on when needed by a switch hidden on a tiny power source behind the ear. It works as a cinema screen would if it was moved back and forth until the projector image came into focus
A Catholic primary school in Melbourne has banned the use of bandaids to treat students, apparently because it is afraid of being sued
The staid folks at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have been caught in a political flap after they linked to a — gasp! — site that advocates a positive attitude towards sexuality
Plans for a web site instigated by a group of doctors could see details of ties with pharmaceutical companies made public. Dr Jim Hazel, an endocrinologist who works as a consultant at Westmead Hospital, said the aim of the Web site was to make transparent the relationship between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry
A row has broken out in the United States after Secretary of State Colin Powell appeared on the music television network MTV and urged sexually active young people to use condoms to protect themselves against disease. Conservative politicians and right-wing religious groups — the moral moronity — were among those who criticised Mr Powell, describing his remarks as irresponsible
A man with a partial spinal-cord injury gained impressive walking ability with treadmill training plus an implanted device that stimulates his spinal cord, suggesting the combined therapy might help such patients, researchers report
The Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital admitted it mistakenly sent letters to 30 patients, including six elderly men, telling them they were pregnant. They were sent by a computer system that automatically generates letters telling patients their operations have been postponed
Living bandages tailored to individuals could help cure the incurable. Early studies suggest the dressings, which are coated with the patient’s own cells, can mend wounds that otherwise refuse to heal
The spectre of smallpox has haunted humanity for more than three millenniums and this year should have marked its final, irrevocable demise. However, a plan to destroy remaining stocks of the virus is about to be abandoned because of fears that one of history’s greatest scourges may now be in the hands of a rogue state
A rare case of chest injury in one marijuana user may offer a cautionary tale against home-made bongs
The poison on an arrow that paralyses a wild beast in the jungle and a pill that can relax our tense muscles have something in common — they both come from the curare plant discovered by Brazilian Indians. Now, the indigenous people of Brazil want this type of link between primitive hunting trick and modern pharmaceutical technology to be recognised as a property right that could bring much-needed cash to needy tribes, some of them on the brink of extinction
Camouflage make-up that can protect troops from the heat of explosions is being developed by British defence researchers. Wearing the cream could mean the difference between a severe burn that needs a skin graft and a far less serious injury
Scientists say they can genetically modify whole mosquito populations so that the flies are either susceptible to pesticides, or can’t transmit the malaria parasite. And they would only need to release relatively few GM mosquitoes to kick-start the process
Imagine a sporting knee guard that tells you if you have landed the wrong way in activities such as AFL football, skiing or netball. Learning to land correctly with its help would mean savings of millions of dollars in medical treatment, particularly for ligament injuries
People can strengthen their muscles by imagining that they are exercising them, according to study findings presented Sunday at the Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting in San Diego, California
Researchers from Queensland’s Griffith University have developed a smart image sensor which may provide the base technology for the development of artificial eyes
Scientists believe it may be possible to halt and even reverse the progress of multiple sclerosis by targeting key chemicals of the immune system
A woman has stunned the medical world by conceiving triplets while already 10 weeks pregnant. She is due to give birth to the boy later this month and deliver the other three babies early in the New Year
A clever gadget no bigger than a personal stereo can rapidly predict food poisoning. While the gadget, called ImmunoFlow, will at first be used by food-processing companies, it is so small and light that its inventors ultimately envisage health inspectors delivering on-the-spot justice to restaurateurs trading in spoilt chicken or buggy burgers
Pyjamas based on space technology will help prevent cot deaths and understand how they occur. The pyjamas are based on the suits used to monitor the vital signs of European Space Agency astronauts
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