RIKEN

A basic discovery of how the cellular functions are connected to control aging is presented in the journal Cell Metabolism. The study shows that an increasingly deteriorating communication between the cells’ organelles is an important cause of aging. The discovery is the result of a collaboration between five research groups at the University of Stockholm and

Plastic Fantastic Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a thermoplastic polyester which occurs naturally in bacteria as Ralstonia eutropha and Bacillus megaterium. Even though PHB is biodegradable and is not dependent on fossil resources, this bioplastic has been traditionally too expensive to produce to replace petroleum-based plastics. New research reported in BioMed Central‘s open access journal Microbial Cell

A breakthrough in technology could see breathalysers being used at football and rugby matches to stop sportsmen and women from playing on with head injuries. Scientists at the University of Birmingham claim to have developed a quick breath test that can detect signs of concussion. Until now, it requires players to have a full medical

Image via Wikipedia Everybody recognises companies that do it well Innovation is “a creative idea that has been made to work”, wrote David Hussey in his book “The Innovation Challenge.” “It can be as basic as a procedural change in a distribution system or as complex as entry into a whole new market.” Innovation has

Image via Wikipedia A few years ago, after receiving an email from someone who was “upset” by all the “bad news” on Techdirt, I wrote up a post for New Year’s on reasons to stay happy, pointing out that while we highlight all sorts of annoying stuff going on in the world, we shouldn’t lose

The WeBike is a round table with three seats positioned at thirds. Whether dozing in front of the big screen TV or being stuck in front of a computer all day at work, our tech-filled lives are not exactly conducive to the kind of physical exercise our bodies need to stay healthy. Belgium’s We-Watt has

Image via Wikipedia VACCINE DEPLOYMENT IS A CHALLENGE IN THE THIRD WORLD WITH ITS UNRELIABLE POWER GRIDS AND ROADS. WE NEED A SELF-SUFFICIENT DEVICE—A SUPER THERMOS—TO SURMOUNT THIS LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE. Most of the world’s focus on developing medicines and vaccines is aimed at rich people. Non-profit medical research is funded mostly by tax dollars—and rich

A pH-responsive polymer gel could create swallowable devices, including capsules for ultra-long drug delivery Medical devices designed to reside in the stomach have a variety of applications, including prolonged drug delivery, electronic monitoring, and weight-loss intervention. However, these devices, often created with nondegradable elastic polymers, bear an inherent risk of intestinal obstruction as a result

Collecting samples of exhaled breath from people at a high risk of lung cancer could be a cheap and non-invasive method of diagnosing the disease, according to new research. The findings will be presented today at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Annual Congress in Barcelona. Current tests for lung cancer include blood and urine tests,

Image via Wikipedia VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is developing image processing technology that will improve surveillance of abandoned luggage in public places. Numerous CCTV systems are in use in public places which have the capacity to gather large amounts of image material. For the time being, however, there are no effective ways to