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Medicine

The Bittersweet Truth of Sweet and Bitter Taste Receptors

In Disney’s Pixar acclaimed success Ratatouille, Chef Gusteau states: “Good food is like music you can taste, color you can smell, there is excellence all around you; You only need be aware to stop and savour it!” Chef Gusteau’s extended metaphor clearly…

SARS: Past and Present

-- With increased air travel, the emergence of infectious diseases anywhere in the world is a global concern. A recent outbreak garnering attention is the emergence of a SARS-like virus in the United Kingdom. Many symptoms of this new virus, including…

Bionic Senses: How Neuroprosthetics Restore Hearing and Sight

-- Of the five senses, sight and hearing are often felt to be the most important. They allow us to interact with each other and our environment, and the loss of either sense can be devastating. Worldwide, an estimated 39 million people have severe…

Advancements in Limb Prosthetics

In January 2013, a 5-year-old boy who was born without fingers on one hand was given a customizable 3-D printed prosthetic hand, built for only $150 in parts. Innovators are working to meet the demand for better and cheaper prosthetics, but how exactly…

A Diet to Protect the Brain

-- Most people go on a “diet” to lose weight, but research has found that certain diets confer special benefits beyond weight loss –the proper diet can go so far as to help treat diseases such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and even brain cancer.…

Statistics and the Social Causes of Obesity

-- Obesity is one of the major health issues facing America today. Affecting over one third of all Americans, obesity-related conditions are estimated to cost over $150 billion and cause the premature deaths of an estimated 300,000 people each year.…

Mind control: mapping motivation with light

-- It has been estimated that around 20 percent of people suffer from major depression. In addition to symptoms such as persistent negative feelings, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating, depression can be marked by a debilitating lack of motivation.…

Fatty acid-rich fish stocks: a sixth extinction crisis

-- We’ve all heard news reports about the benefits of eating fish, and replacing some red meat meals with fish as an alternative source of protein. Fish contains a lot of minerals, including iodine and selenium, which are beneficial for the human body.…