A new study has uncovered how the commonly used local anesthetic drug, lidocaine, activates bitter taste receptors to exert an anti-cancer effect in head and neck cancers. Given its low cost and ready availability, the drug could easily be incorporated into the treatment of patients with this challenging form of cancer.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTags: Cancer, Treatment, Anesthetic, University of Pennsylvania

Implants and tiny machines could eventually be working inside our bodies to help treat disease or monitor activity, but letting them communicate is tricky. Now scientists at EPFL have developed a system whereby devices can communicate by releasing molecules into a patient?s bloodstream.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: molecular biology, Molecules, Communications, Implant, Robotics, Nanomachines, Microbots, EPFL, Data, Network

It may sound like finding a ski resort in the Amazon, but a team of scientists from the Planetary Science Institute claim to have found evidence that the super-hot planet Mercury has subterranean salt glaciers at its north polar region.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Mercury, NASA

Airbus innovation division UpNext is testing its next-gen autonomous systems for air-to-air in-flight refueling, which could be a revolutionary leap forward for a variety of military and civil aircraft, radically and safely extending range and endurance.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTags: Airbus, Autonomous flight, Autonomous, UAV, Fuel

Adding to the growing research into the effects of long-haul spaceflights on the human body, researchers have found that the weightlessness and radiation exposure accompanying deep space travel can cause long-lasting erectile dysfunction. With crewed space missions planned for the near future, the findings highlight the importance of considering astronauts? sexual health.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Space exploration, Cosmic, Radiation

It will come as no surprise that, on a whole, we?re eating too much sugar. Now, scientists have found that when our sweet tooth is sated, that craving is dialed down and in its place comes a sudden desire for fatty foods, which can wreak havoc on metabolic functions and weight.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: Umea University, Fruit Flies, Fat cells, Taste, Sugar, metabolism, Hormone, Diet, Obesity

CRISPR systems are powerful tools for genetic engineering, but they have their limitations. Now, scientists have discovered almost 200 new CRISPR systems in their native habitat of bacteria, and found that some can edit human cells even more precisely than existing ones.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: CRISPR, Bacteria, Enzyme, Genetic engineering, Genetics, Broad Institute, MIT, Harvard, U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), Algorithms

One of the lowest-priced vehicles on the market in the US is the Nissan Versa. Though the term "econobox" has negative connotations to it, it?s a descriptor that fits lot of entry-level vehicle models, including the Versa. But this little Nissan has redefined the term. In a good way.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Nissan, Compact, Reviews

Researchers have developed an ultrathin electronic tattoo capable of reproducing the localized sensation of touch in its wearer. The device has the potential to be used to manufacture lightweight, portable haptic displays and devices for healthcare and robotics.Continue ReadingCategory: TechnologyTags: Wearable, Tattoo, Touch, Haptics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have developed a new spinal stimulator that can help restore lower limb function to paralyzed patients. The tiny device can be non-invasively implanted through a syringe.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTags: Spinal, Paralysis, Mobility, Johns Hopkins University, Implant, Injuries, Neuroscience

A new study has, for the first time, settled the debate about how a mutated protein present in half of all human cancers drives tumor growth. The discovery will not only facilitate a rethink of the way cancer is treated but may lead to new and improved therapeutics.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTags: Cancer, Genetics, CRISPR, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Trento

Neuroscientists have shown that blind people recognize basic faces using the same brain regions as sighted people ? even if the face shapes are delivered as audio rather than through the visual cortex ? in an interesting look into neuroplasticity.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: Blind, Blindness, Georgetown University, Facial Recognition

To meet the demand for a pickup truck shell built to hold all the provisions of modern adventure ? platform racks, rooftop tents, standup paddleboards, bicycles and more ? LTA Manufacturing has launched the new Venturous brand. The company sets its Ozark pickup cap apart from traditional composite toppers by leaving behind the standard open-mold construction for a superior "PolyFuse" injection-molded process. The result is a topper that boasts classic fiberglass looks at a fraction of the weight with more load-carrying strength than steel.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Pickup, Truck, Rack, Cargo

In an effort to drive down the production cost of biodiesel, researchers have developed an eco-friendly way of extracting triacetin, a combustion-enhancing additive, from an abundant waste source: cigarette butts. Recycling cigarette butts in this way would not only dispose of waste but put it to sustainable use.Continue ReadingCategory: Environment, ScienceTags: Biodiesel, Sustainability, Eco-Friendly, Cigarettes, Waste, Kaunas University of Technology

The River Forest Lookout is an interesting project that puts shipping container-based architecture on a pedestal ? literally. The tiny retreat takes the form of a fire lookout tower-style design that consists of two containers raised 60 ft (18 m) above the forest floor in Whitfield County, Georgia.Continue ReadingCategory: Tiny Houses, LifestyleTags: Building and Construction, Airbnb, shipping containers, Tiny Footprint, Micro-House

Inching forward bumper to bumper on a highway when you?re on the way to an appointment, or worse, the airport, is enough to spike anyone?s blood pressure (BP). But researchers have found that a BP surge occurs independent of external stressors, and it could be due to the poor air flowing into the car from surrounding traffic.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTags: University of Washington, Blood Pressure, Traffic Congestion, Traffic, Cardiovascular, Pollution, Air quality

Back in September, Ultimea launched a Tri Color Laser TV called the Thor T60 on Kickstarter. As the company gets ready to ship to backers, the UST projector has gone up for pre-order along with a single laser sibling called the Thor T50.Continue ReadingCategory: Home Entertainment, TechnologyTags: Projectors, Laser TV, 4K UHD

Cannondale has dissected the DNA of its Synapse road bike to create a tasty carbon-framed "commuter bike that would make a pro cyclist smile." The Tesoro Neo Carbon ebike is a Europe-only release, and rides out with Bosch power.Continue ReadingCategory: Bicycles, TransportTags: Cannondale, ebikes, Pedal-assisted, Bosch, Carbon

Although most of our clothes fold and crease with our bodies as we move, our shoes maintain the same shape and appearance pretty much all the time. With that fact in mind, scientists are now developing a method of catching criminals via shoe ID.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: Forensics, Staffordshire University, Shoes, Identification, Crime, Police

Six years ago, Ukrainian startup Jollylook brought us a very retro-looking analog camera that produced instant-print photographs. The company is back again with the similarly old-school Eye, that converts digital photos into instant prints.Continue ReadingCategory: Photography, TechnologyTags: Kickstarter, Retro, Instant Photography

New research has found that patients taking the weight-loss and diabetes drug semaglutide had significantly reduced symptoms of alcohol use disorder. Although the study was small, larger studies are underway with the potential to lead to the use of drugs like semaglutide to treat addiction.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTags: Ozempic, Alcohol, Addiction

Researchers have developed a biodegradable patch engineered from human cells that could one day be used to correct infant congenital heart defects, limiting the need for multiple invasive surgeries and outlasting current non-living, non-degradable patches.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTags: Heart, Children, Electrospinning, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS), Stem Cells, University of Colorado

Most of us have woken up with an aching back after a night of tossing and turning, only for that pain to then keep us awake the next night. Now, Harvard scientists have discovered a potential link between pain and poor sleep, and maybe even a way to break the loop.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTags: Pain, Pain Relief, Sleep, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, Neuroscience

Researchers are using machine learning to analyze satellite radar data to detect icebergs in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica as a way to better understand their life cycle and environmental impact.Continue ReadingCategory: Environment, ScienceTags: Antarctic, British Antarctic Survey, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning