Scientist-led conferences at Harvard, Stanford and MIT

  • Researchers explain the goals of a new brain-mapping project

    http://www.technologyreview.com/news/512141/the-brain-activity-map/ A proposed effort to map brain activity on a large scale, expected to be announced by the White House later this month, could help neuroscientists understand the origins of cognition, perception, and other phenomena. These brain activities haven’t been well understood to date, in part because they arise from the interaction of large sets…

  • Brain stimulation might help some functions and hurt others

    http://www.technologyreview.com/news/511916/brain-boosting-technique-might-help-some-functions-while-hurting-others/ Electrically stimulating the brain may improve memory, but impede with a person’s ability to react without thinking. The approach has previously been shown to enhance various brain functions, including working memory and attention, and is being used to help stroke patients regain lost language and motor skills (see “Repairing the Stroke-Damaged Brain”). But until…

  • The Relationship of Sugar to Population-Level Diabetes Prevalence

    http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0057873 Increased sugar consumption leads to increased diabetes prevalence. One solution is to reduce sugar consumption, but this is difficult to implement in a western diet. It is best to combine the consumption of  high fiber foods such as oatmeal, oat bran, beans and legumes with the consumption of high sugar foods.

  • Computer modeling may help soldiers, athletes, avoid concussions

    http://hub.jhu.edu/2013/03/07/concussion-research-impact Johns Hopkins engineers have developed a powerful new computer-based process that helps identify the dangerous conditions that lead to concussion-related brain injuries. Professor K.T. Ramesh led a team that used a technique called diffusion tensor imaging, together with a computer model of the head, to identify injured axons, which are tiny but important fibers that…

  • Doctors use smartphones to save lives

    http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/01/25/doctors-see-apples-iphone-as-life-saver-in-the-future-of-medicine A doctor recently used his iPhone, in combination with AliveCor, a mounted sensor capable of delivering clinically accurate electrocardiograms, while in flight, to measure the vital signs of a passenger experiencing severe chest pains at 30,000 feet. The results indicated that the passenger was having a heart attack.  The doctor recommended an urgent landing,…

  • Kurzweil developing AI search technology

    http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/future-tech/google-ray-kurzweil-developing-ambitious-intelligent-a-i-search-tech-1125324 Kurzweil hopes to leverage Google’s massive pool of resources and data to develop technology that would create truly intelligent computers that can understand human language on a deep level.

  • NASA technology benefits cardio-pulmonary patients

    http://www.azosensors.com/news.aspx?newsID=5350 PUMA measures six components to evaluate metabolic function: oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure, volume flow rate, heart rate, and gas pressure and temperature. From those measurements, PUMA can compute the oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide output and minute ventilation (average expired gas flow rate). A small, embedded computer takes readings of each sensor and relays…

  • Ensuring meaningful fMRI data

    http://www.stats.org/stories/2012/Dim_Data_jan18_13.html The possibility of confusing causation and correlation in fMRI analysis is explored.

  • Data science meets healthcare science

    http://newsroom.cisco.com/feature-content?type=webcontent&articleId=1123755 Devices that collect personal medical information are growing both prolific and inexpensive.  The biggest challenges lie not in collecting and transmitting the data, but in building the backend systems that can interpret it.

  • Oregon State engineers develop microchip for cheap EEG and ECG

    http://www.physbiztech.com/blog/health-sensors-size-postage-stamp OSU researchers attempt to reduce the cost of wireless EEG and ECG monitoring to less than a dollar.  Applications include self-tracking and enabling doctors to monitor at-risk patients in real time.  Multiple chips around the body can continuously track specific metrics.

  • Apps aim to detect skin cancer

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323783704578245973988828066.html# Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center tested four apps to analyze images of 188 moles, including 60 melanomas. All of these moles were pre-evaluated by a dermatologist. The best-performing app forwarded the images to board-certified dermatologists to review at cost of $5 per mole, and claims to be accurate 98% of the…

  • Sensor technology protects seniors

    http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Eldercare/2013/20130114-High_Tech_Surveillance.htm In addition to the remote monitoring of chronic conditions, sensors, computerized pattern recognition and links to human responders can detect and head off health threats to the elderly living alone.

Got any book recommendations?