Amir Amedi and Reichman University colleagues have released a study describing touch-based technology to help people understand speech and sound – and to detect their location in the future. The sensory substitution device can deliver speech simultaneously through audition and as fingertip vibrations which correspond to low frequencies extracted from the speech input. 40 non-native-English-speaking […]
Autism / Brain / MRI
Prenatal MRI study suggests autism differences may begin in the womb
A small Boston Children’s Hospital study led by Assistant Professor Emi Takahashi and postdoc Alpen Ortug showed increased volume of the insular lobe as a potential strong prenatal MRI biomarker that could predict the emergence of ASD later in life. It revealed significant differences in brain structures at 25 weeks’ gestation between children who were […]
Genome / Genomics
Complete, gapless human genome sequence published
The T2T consortium have published the first complete, gapless sequence of a human genome, two decades after the Human Genome Project produced the first draft human genome sequence. Having a complete, gap-free sequence of the roughly 3 billion bases in our DNA is critical for understanding the full spectrum of human genomic variation and for […]
COVID 19 / Sensors
Hopkins developed saliva sensor improves speed and accuracy of COVID detection
David Gracias and Ishan Barman at Johns Hopkins have developed a COVID 19 sensor which provides fast and accurate results using a drop of saliva placed on a device. No additional chemical modifications like molecular labeling or antibody functionalization are required, which could allow the sensor to be used in wearable devices. Current PCR tests […]
BCI
Shallow implant plus precise stimulation startup aims to treat depression
Inner Cosmos is a new, shallowly implanted brain stimulation system meant to address depression. It calls its system a “digital pill” but still requires a procedure for electronics to be placed under the skin on the head. Chief Medical Officer Eric Leuthardt is a top neurosurgeon from Washington University in St Louis and the CEO […]
Sensors
Zenan Bao further develops stretchable, potentially reshapeable, skin inspired electronics
Stanford’s Zhenan Bao and team have developed a stretchable, potentially reshapeable, wearable display that can allow a new way of interactive human-machine interface. “We can see the image and interact with it, and then the display can change according to our response” said Bao in a Stanford interview. The display is made entirely of stretchy […]