On Nov. 7, the White House’s science and technology branch will meet with robotics experts and medical and humanitarian officials to explore ways to use robots to help safely treat Ebola victims, as well as victims of other infectious diseases during epidemics. “The problem that we’re having now with Ebola is the same as the … Read more
A bubble gum company in Japan–a nation conscious of the relationship between chewing and cognitive function–has invented a chewing-sensor. The sensor, invented by a Tokyo-based gum manufacturer, counts chewing rate and intensity. “Chewing, unless you make a conscious effort, can be seen as a bit of a pain,” said Katsumi Kawai, chief marketing officer at … Read more
In a world first, movement and sensation have been returned to a man who was paralyzed four years ago. After a pioneering cell transplant using special cells that naturally regenerate, 40-year-old Darek Fidyka is walking again. “When you can’t feel almost half your body, you are helpless, but when it starts coming back it’s like you are … Read more
All people travelling from Ebola-affected nations in West Africa to the United States will be restricted to landing in five major airports, the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday. Health screening will also be increased. The security measures take effect Wednesday. Currently, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Customs and Border Protection inspects travellers arriving … Read more
In 2010 the Obama administration did away with proposed quarantine regulations that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considered to be critical to protecting Americans in the event of deadly diseases being spread by travelers. The regulations, which had been proposed in 2005 as a reaction to the H5N1 avian flu virus that … Read more
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, working with county officials, will enact a control order limiting travel for people who have been exposed to Ebola, Jenkins said Wednesday, calling the situation in Texas a “very serious public health Ebola crisis.” Travel will be restricted on public transportation, including buses and airliners, and further restrictions are being … Read more
The United Nations repeated its calls for immediate aid, saying that response efforts must be hundreds of times greater than they currently are in order to meet the threat of an epidemic that, the UN has stated, was outstripping all current efforts. The UN warned that without much higher levels of response, the world would … Read more
WHO officials provided an update Friday on the progress of the Ebola epidemic gripping West Africa and outpacing all efforts to control it. The WHO warned that without immediate, concerted action Ebola could become a global pandemic on the scale of HIV, and added that the current response was only half of what it needed … Read more
[BRIEF] According to the World Health Organization, the spread of Ebola across Europe is “quite unavoidable.” WHO European Director Zsuzsanna Jakab commented Tuesday on the recent first case of Ebola contracted in Europe and said, “Such imported cases and similar events as have happened in Spain will happen also in the future, most likely.” “It is … Read more
According to a recent study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, pesticide use is positively linked to suicide and depression. The study analyzed data from various pesticide classes and found evidence supported a positive association between pesticide exposure and depression. Several specific pesticides were also positively identified as associated. “Few previous studies have … Read more
A nurse who had served on the team that treated a Spanish priest who contracted the disease in West Africa has become the first Ebola case in Europe. She is also the first person to have contracted the disease outside Africa, despite the highest level of precautions having been taken. The nurse tested positive for Ebola in two … Read more
According to a new study led by the Georgia Institute of Technology, just one short burst of weight-lifting can enhance long-term memory for young adults by around 10 percent. “Our study indicates that people don’t have to dedicate large amounts of time to give their brain a boost,” said Lisa Weinberg, a graduate student and … Read more