Research Ideas

Come up with the right electrode and you can make biochemical changes in the body trigger an electronic signal.
The pH-sensitive electrode registers changes in acidity produced by enzymes that carry out the chemical equivalent of simple computer logic. The enzyme logic processes four chemical inputs including glucose and oxygen, and, depending on which [...]

Condense laser light in a nanoscale channel and you can trap and move nanoparticles and individual molecules.
Lasers have been used to trap and move microscopic objects including individual cells for years. The new channel technique — sub-wavelengths slot waveguides — extends laser tweezers to the nanoscale.
Researchers used a prototype to manipulate [...]

Tether gold nanoparticles to bundles of DNA and you can make DNA nanotubes.Gold nanoparticles attached by single DNA strands to two-dimensional DNA bundles or sheets cause the DNA to curl up into nanotubes. The size of the nanoparticles determines the size and shape the nanotubes.
The technique can produce DNA nanotubes in the shape of stacked [...]

Bring brain cells into contact with carbon nanotubes and you can treat diseases and brain injuries, and maybe even improve your thinking.
Two studies have advanced efforts to develop carbon nanotube-based neuroprosthetic devices by showing how carbon nanotubes improve neuron growth and performance.
The first shows that carbon nanotubes form tight connections with [...]

Severe acid reflux: Stomach wraps effective in short to medium term
March 16, 2010
Stomach wrap operations may be more effective than acid suppression tablets in the treatment of severe acid reflux, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. The study shows a more pronounced improvement in symptoms shortly after surgery than [...]

In the United States, medical advances and education campaigns have helped slash the death rate from cancer by nearly 16 percent in 20 years, American Cancer Society epidemiologist Susan Gapstur told reporters at the launch of a cancer-themed edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
But cancer still struck 1.5 million people and killed [...]

The anti-aging skin product that features the BYU ingredient was launched in October as part of the companys ageLOC(TM) skin care line. Nu Skin sold $28 million of ageLOC skin care products in the last quarter of 2009.
The little-known molecule, called equol, is derived from plants such as soybeans. Its benefits for skin grew out [...]

Emergency contraception: Advance provision does not reduce pregnancy rates
March 16, 2010
Providing emergency contraception to women in advance of need does not reduce pregnancy rates, despite increased use and faster use after unprotected sexual intercourse. These are the findings according to a new review published in The Cochrane Library.

Women [...]

Teen Girls Look to Peers to Gauge Weight Goals
March 16, 2010 By Glenda Fauntleroy
Their schoolmates’ weight determines whether teenage high school girls will try to lose pounds, new research finds, and the school environment plays a big role in the decision.

Although fashion magazines and celebrity culture equate thin with [...]

The Audit Bureau of Circulations said Tuesday that it has changed its definition of a digital magazine to accommodate the new class of tablet-style devices.
The new rules allow publishers to count paid digital subscriptions as part of a magazine’s overall circulation as long as all the same editorial and advertising material is included.
That means publishers [...]