Trends & Innovations - Wednesday
Mind controlled computers work
The keyboard and mouse days may be winding down thanks to a potential rise in computers that are linked to your brain. A Brown Univ. team of researchers along with scientists at Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems developed an implant smaller than an aspirin that links thoughts with actions on a computer. The device was tested on the 26-year-old lead researcher who is a quadriplegic. According to the study in the journal Nature, the researcher was able to play games on a PC, control a robotic arm and use a remote control.
Organic ‘food miles’ unhealthy
Organic vegetables may be healthier for the dinner table, but not necessarily for the environment, a study by Univ. of Alberta in Canada found. Greenhouse gas emitted when the produce is transported from great distances mitigates the environment benefits of growing the food organically. The study compared “food miles” and found particular two items, mangoes and green papers were shipped much further than conventional counterparts.
Demand for fertility treatment among women age 40-45 is surging in Britain, according to government figures. Since 1991, treatment cases jumped more than 10-fold. In ‘06, women age 40-45 accounted for 15.5% of all treatment cycles, according to a BBC News report. But the overall success rate of women at age 40 remains relatively low at 11.8% in ‘04.
Canada may join India and Brazil in banning crop seeds that are genetically engineered to be sterile. The terminating seed is still in its research phase, but farmers fear that it will make them more dependent on companies that sell seeds. Backers of the seeds say that a self-destroying seed can help prevent the spread of diseases among crops.
The Vatican said it is joining the solar trend and will install energy-harvesting devices on some of its buildings. The solar push comes in response to Pope Benedict XVI’s concern about protecting the Earth’s resources. The Vatican said using photovoltaic cells also makes economic sense, but it added they will not be added to historical sites.
