Tag: Science

The longer a gouge or scrape or similar laceration to the skin stays open, the greater the danger of infection. Closing a wound can require stitches, a procedure that carries problems and dangers of its own.

Using light to diagnose the presence of viruses or other invaders in the body isn’t new. Typically, the tests use a probe molecule that locks onto a gene known to belong to the villain. The combination of the two changes the frequency of light emitted by the target, and the change can be seen and quantified by an optical microscope.

Macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness on the rise in developed nations, occurs when retinal cells die in the central area of the retinal field, leaving sufferers with a black hole in the center of their vision.

Every living thing is made of proteins, and proteins are made from just 20 amino acids that nature provides.

Home batteries hanging on a wall could be outmoded by electrified cement, developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Falling water holds a lot of power, as any 18th-century mill operator knew. For some time, scientists have been trying to figure out how to capture the power of falling raindrops to generate electricity.

Linking the human brain with a computer makes good science fiction and has inspired ventures such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which aims to let you control devices with electronics implanted in your brain. Other less adventurous, and invasive, trials have outfitted subjects with skullcaps studded with electrodes.