Researchers have discovered that increasing production of a protein called RGS-14 could significantly boost visual memory . They are currently investigating the exact effects on humans, but all I can think is: Photographic memory in pill form. More

Costing just a cent to produce and requiring just a single drop of blood, this paper chip, designed by Harvard chemist George Whitesides, can diagnose HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and more. What substance makes this tiny marvel possible? Comic-book ink. The water-resistant ink pushes the blood into the different paper channels, each of which contain chemicals that react with the blood and change color to indicate the presence and severity of the various diseases.

Costing just a cent to produce and requiring just a single drop of blood to function, this paper chip, designed by chemist George Whitesides, can diagnose HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and more. What substance makes this tiny marvel possible? Comic-book ink. The water-resistant ink pushes the blood into the different paper channels, each of which contain chemicals that react with the blood and change color to indicate the presence and severity of the various diseases. In developing countries where technology for diagnosing diseases needs to be cheap and easy for individuals to use themselves, it’s hard to imagine a test simpler than Whitesides’ “zero cost diagnostics”.

The Zenith wheelchair , a design by the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Alberta, is fit with tank-like treads to climb up stairs under the user’s own power. The treaded design combines with strong, lightweight tech like an aluminum back frame and a Herman Miller-inspired carbon fiber seat to create a beastly machine that’s not too cumbersome to actually wield. Still, if the design actually works—there’s no working prototype yet—we have to wonder: Why didn’t everyone put tank treads on wheelchairs already? And why the heck is Johnny 5 receiving better medical care than the citizens of humanity? [ thedesignblog via coroflot via io9 ]

A new study found a direct link between the time teenagers spent staring at screens and their inability to have meaningful relationships with their parents and peers. This study obviously was conducted before that Russian kid blessed us with Chatroulette. You’ve likely been at one end of this debate—either you were a teenage TV zombie being told by your parents to go play outside, or you were that parent trying to keep your kid from spending another mindless hour on the Internet. In this battle, it turns out, the wisdom of age prevails. The study, published in this month’s Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, found that every hour of TV watched increased the teen’s likelihood of detachment from friends and family 4% and each hour of Internet increased it 5%

I’ve never had the pleasure of breaking a bone, but if I did, you can bet I’d be wearing a Casttoo to share my innermost threshold for pain with the world. Casttoos are customizable cast decals. You email in the image of your choice—yes, X-rays work great, though a shattered Terminator endoskeleton might be a valid secondary option—and they’ll mail you out a decal that can be affixed via hairdryer. Prices range anywhere from $20-$40, but hopefully, if you’re on decent pain meds at the time, you’ll have no issues shrugging off the small purchase. [ Castoos via bookofjoe via DVICE ]

Playing doctor and nurse used to be so affordable as a kid. Nowadays, you need to fork out $69.99 for an iPhone app, and $279.99 for a stethoscope. Still, you can’t put a price on saving lives, right? Not that you’ll be saving too many lives with just a stethoscope and an app that displays the heartbeat in its arty, wiggly form. But you can record the sound of a heartbeat, and even email it to your doctor if you’re particularly worried

Years of battling cancer have left film ubercritic Roger Ebert without a portion of his jaw, and consequentially, his voice. Esquire ’s superb profile outlined his efforts to regain a voice—his voice—but left us wondering: How will that work? From Esquire : Ebert is waiting for a Scottish company called CereProc to give him some of his former voice back. He found it on the Internet, where he spends a lot of his time.

Neurologists have built an ultrasound device which uses focused sound waves to destroy stroke-causing blood clots in brains. The procedure is non-invasive—requiring no drugs or surgery—and is already being tested on patients. The machine and procedure allows doctors to “surround the head with an array of transducers that can focus ultrasound beams on a single spot in the brain without damaging the skull.” This means that diseased tissue could be destroyed without any collateral damage or risky surgery. [ Technology Review via Pop Sci ]

Soap is dead. Never stood a chance, really. It had a good run, but the age of disinfecting our hands in plasma-gas filled boxes has finally dawned. As the NY TImes has it, several laboratories are working on the technology, which bathes your hand in room-temperature plasma gas to kill even industrial grade bacteria like MRSA. Or your foot, to knock down athlete’s foot. It’s got a clear and present destiny in hospital use, where doctors and nurses could kill off lingering bacteria, viruses, and fungi in as little as four seconds—as opposed to the time-intensive scrubbing process they endure today