Using virtual reality could make you a better person in real life

If you've ever participated in a virtual reality (VR) experience, you might have found yourself navigating the virtual world as an avatar. If you haven't, you probably recognise the experience from its portrayal in film and on television.

* This article was originally published here

Potential harm from medical instruments not made clear in studies

The potential harm from medical instruments is not made clear in academic studies, according to research by the University of York.

* This article was originally published here

No-take marine areas help fishers (and fish) far more than we thought

One hectare of ocean in which fishing is not allowed (a marine protected area) produces at least five times the amount of fish as an equivalent unprotected hectare, according to new research published today.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers step back to mannequin viral wave to explore depth

Who said the viral craze called Mannequin Challenge (MC) is done and dusted? Not so. Researchers have turned to the Challenge that won attention in 2016 to serve their goal. They used the MC for training a neural network that can reconstruct depth information from the videos.

* This article was originally published here

They're cutting opioid prescriptions by stopping pain before it starts

Doctors today are reducing their patients' need for strong opioid medications after surgery by pre-treating patients with other pain relievers before they even enter the operating room.

* This article was originally published here

An atomic-scale erector set

To design buildings that can withstand the largest of storms, Kostas Keremidis, a Ph.D. candidate at the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, is using research at the smallest scale—that of the atom.

* This article was originally published here

Intel researchers develop an eye contact correction system for video chats

When participating in a video call or conference, it is often hard to maintain direct eye contact with other participants, as this requires looking into the camera rather than at the screen. Although most people use video calling services on a regular basis, so far, there has been no widespread solution to this problem.

* This article was originally published here

Teaching artificial intelligence to create visuals with more common sense

Today's smartphones often use artificial intelligence (AI) to help make the photos we take crisper and clearer. But what if these AI tools could be used to create entire scenes from scratch?

* This article was originally published here

Scientists develop new method for studying early life in ancient rocks

Scientists have developed a new method for detecting traces of primordial life in ancient rock formations using potassium.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/scientists-develop-new-method-for-studying-early-life-in-ancient-rocks

How comb jellies adapted to life in the deep sea

Washed up on a beach, a comb jelly or ctenophore (pronounced "teen-oh-four") might look like a little transparent grape. But ctenophores are extremely diverse, living from the equator to the poles and from the ocean surface to more than 7,000 meters, or more than four miles, down. MBARI researchers and their collaborators are developing computer models that compare the genetic material of many species of ctenophores to learn how their body chemistry has evolved to life in different environments.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/how-comb-jellies-adapted-to-life-in-the-deep-sea

They're cutting opioid prescriptions by stopping pain before it starts

Doctors today are reducing their patients' need for strong opioid medications after surgery by pre-treating patients with other pain relievers before they even enter the operating room.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/theyre-cutting-opioid-prescriptions-by-stopping-pain-before-it-starts

Do passengers prefer autonomous vehicles driven like machines or like humans?

Passenger and pedestrian confidence and acceptance will be key to the future and development of autonomous vehicles so researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick have just conducted and reported an experiment to see which autonomous vehicles driving style engendered the highest levels of confidence among autonomous vehicles passengers—driving with full machine efficiency, or driving in a way that emulates average human driving. The surprising result was that neither was optimal but that a blend of both might be best.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/do-passengers-prefer-autonomous-vehicles-driven-like-machines-or-like-humans

Ignoring cues for alcohol and fast food is hard—but is it out of our control?

A UNSW psychology experiment has shown why it can be so hard to direct our attention away from cues that might lead to behavior we'd like to avoid, like drinking alcohol and eating unhealthy food.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/ignoring-cues-for-alcohol-and-fast-food-is-hard-but-is-it-out-of-our-control

Making wireless communication more energy efficient

Omer Tanovic, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, joined the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) because he loves studying theory and turning research questions into solvable math problems. But Omer says that his engineering background—before coming to MIT he received undergraduate and master's degrees in electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina—has taught him never to lose sight of the intended applications of his work, or the practical parameters for implementation.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/making-wireless-communication-more-energy-efficient

Genes could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease

Tooth decay and gum disease impact on illness and healthcare spending, yet the role of genetics in dental problems is largely unknown. New research led by an international team, including researchers at the University of Bristol, suggests hereditary traits and factors such as obesity, education and personality could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/genes-could-play-a-role-in-tooth-decay-and-gum-disease

Stromboli clears up ash after deadly volcano eruption

The village of Ginostra on Stromboli began sweeping away layers of ash on Thursday, the day after a dramatic volcanic eruption on the tiny Italian island killed a hiker.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/stromboli-clears-up-ash-after-deadly-volcano-eruption

Scientists combine light and matter to make particles with new behaviors

Every type of atom in the universe has a unique fingerprint: It only absorbs or emits light at the particular energies that match the allowed orbits of its electrons. That fingerprint enables scientists to identify an atom wherever it is found. A hydrogen atom in outer space absorbs light at the same energies as one on Earth.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/scientists-combine-light-and-matter-to-make-particles-with-new-behaviors

New Zealand slams Google over murder case gaffe

Google was accused of "giving the middle finger" by New Zealand's Justice Minister Thursday, after the US tech giant refused to tighten publication standards after breaching court suppression orders in a high-profile murder case.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-zealand-slams-google-over-murder-case-gaffe

Chinese official: Pig fever outbreak 'complicated and grim'

The death toll from a disease outbreak in China's pig herds that has pushed up global pork prices has risen to 1.2 million animals, but its spread has "significantly slowed," a deputy agriculture minister said Thursday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/chinese-official-pig-fever-outbreak-complicated-and-grim

New technique could brighten screens and make smartphone batteries last longer

Our future TV and smartphone screens could have double the energy efficiency, thanks to a technique invented by Imperial scientists.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-technique-could-brighten-screens-and-make-smartphone-batteries-last-longer

Sharing control with robots may make manufacturing safer, more efficient

Hulking robots common to assembly line manufacturing tend to be loners. They often cut, bend and weld metal inside cages and behind barriers meant to safely separate them from human workers.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/sharing-control-with-robots-may-make-manufacturing-safer-more-efficient

Superbug virulence regulatory mechanism revealed: Paving the way for developing new antibiotics

As antibiotic resistance is growing and posing a threat to public health, developing new antibiotics has become more urgent than ever. Researchers at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have recently revealed the virulence regulatory mechanism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a superbug which is common in patients with a weak immune system and is resistant to many antibiotics. The findings pave the way for identifying good antibiotic targets for new drug development.

* This article was originally published here

Simpler name for cancer genetic syndrome could save lives

As medical science links certain genetic mutations with a greater variety of cancers, the names for these risk syndromes are falling out of step.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/simpler-name-for-cancer-genetic-syndrome-could-save-lives

Creation of big data tool leads to new ideas on form and function of insect eggs

Sometimes disproving an old hypothesis is as important as proving a new one. In a new paper in Nature, Cassandra G. Extavour manages to do both, while helping create a tool that will enable similar big-data studies moving forward.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/creation-of-big-data-tool-leads-to-new-ideas-on-form-and-function-of-insect-eggs

Further insight needed into potential development delays in preterm children

Executive functioning delays—such as difficulties with attention, concentration and self-control—which frequently occur in preterm children actually persist beyond early infancy, through to school-entry age, new research has found.

* This article was originally published here

Further insight needed into potential development delays in preterm children

Executive functioning delays—such as difficulties with attention, concentration and self-control—which frequently occur in preterm children actually persist beyond early infancy, through to school-entry age, new research has found.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/further-insight-needed-into-potential-development-delays-in-preterm-children

Researchers map crystals to advance treatments for stroke, diabetes, dementia

Medications attach to the proteins in our bodies the way spacecrafts dock into the International Space Station. Describing that process in detail can reveal a lot about how the medications work—and what form new medications should take.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-map-crystals-to-advance-treatments-for-stroke-diabetes-dementia

Incarceration and economic hardship strongly associated with drug-related deaths in the US

Growing rates of incarceration in the USA since the mid-1970s may be linked with a rise in drug-related mortality, and may exacerbate the harmful health effects of economic hardship, according to an observational study involving 2,640 US counties between 1983 and 2014, published in The Lancet Public Health journal.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/incarceration-and-economic-hardship-strongly-associated-with-drug-related-deaths-in-the-us

More money, skills and knowledge needed for social prescribing to serve as route into work

New funding, greater expertise and wider awareness in the system—and beyond—are needed to embed work outcomes into social prescribing practice.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/more-money-skills-and-knowledge-needed-for-social-prescribing-to-serve-as-route-into-work

Scientists discover autoimmune disease associated with testicular cancer

Using advanced technology, scientists at Chan Zuckerberg (CZ) Biohub, Mayo Clinic and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have discovered an autoimmune disease that appears to affect men with testicular cancer.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/scientists-discover-autoimmune-disease-associated-with-testicular-cancer

One in 10 UK hospital inpatients is alcohol dependent

A new review of evidence from the UK has found high levels of alcohol dependence among hospital inpatients. The researchers estimate one in five patients in the UK hospital system uses alcohol harmfully, and one in ten is alcohol dependent.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/one-in-10-uk-hospital-inpatients-is-alcohol-dependent

Facebook services back online after worldwide outage

Facebook said it was "back at 100 percent" Wednesday evening after an outage on all of its services affected users in various parts of the world.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/facebook-services-back-online-after-worldwide-outage

Tornado kills 6, injures nearly 200 in China

A tornado has left six people dead and nearly 200 injured after ripping through a northeastern Chinese city, local authorities said Thursday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/tornado-kills-6-injures-nearly-200-in-china