How to Recognize Radiation Sickness

Radiation sickness, medically known as acute radiation syndrome (ARS) and often called radiation poisoning or radiation toxicity, is a collection of symptoms that occur after exposure to a large amount of ionizing radiation over a short period of time.[1][2] Radiation sickness is generally associated with acute exposure and has a characteristic set of symptoms that appear in an orderly fashion.[3]Read on to understand more about radiation sickness. Link

A Quicker Way to Identify Skin Cancer

A new device that a doctor holds right over a mole uses laser light to determine if it's melanoma.

Detecting melanoma—the most lethal form of skin cancer—still relies on dermatologists eyeballing moles and deciding which ones warrant a biopsy. A new handheld device developed by scientists at the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) and licensed to Verisante Technology could provide instant information about the molecular makeup of moles.

The device, called the Verisante Aura, is held above a mole, and uses Raman spectroscopy, a technique that distinguishes molecules using their vibrational states, to scan for those whose relative concentrations are characteristic of melanoma. The device returns a verdict within seconds. Following a successful small clinical trial, Verisante is now analyzing the results of another trial with 1,000 moles. The company plans to seek approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Canada Health later this year.

For patients whose melanoma isn't caught early, the life expectancy is less than a year. And rates of the disease are skyrocketing: the current estimate is that one in 58 Americans will get melanoma in their lifetime, up from one in 1,500 in 1935.

Work on the new device began in 2000, when dermatologists at BCCA were studying whether certain skin diseases could be identified by their unique spectral characteristics. In Raman spectroscopy, laser light changes the vibrational state of the bonds within molecules, which in turn causes a shift in the light that is reflected back to a sensor. The magnitude and direction of that shift reveal what molecules are in the sample, and at what concentration.
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How to Improve Communication

As the Internet advanced, a host of efficient new communication tools became available. Social networking sites are considered "new technology" because of their widespread popularity in a relatively short span of time. These sites are used to connect users with their friends and family, favorite companies, musicians, alumni networks or any such individual or group. As networks such as Facebook and Twitter grow, businesses and governments are increasingly using them to improve communication with clients. For example, according to Ozmosis, Inc.'s 2009 study, "Health Alerts & Lessons Learned from H1N1," 255 hospitals had a presence on Facebook and Twitter to better communicate with patients and the general public.

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The Science Breakthroughs that 2011 May Bring

From discovering the so-called God particle and confirming the existence of an Earth-like exoplanet to understanding more about the brain and even defining a fourth domain of life, the science possibilities for 2011 are awe-inspiring.

Here's a look at some of what may come to bear in the coming year

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How to Make Up Your Mind About an Issue

Living in a world of constant debate and disagreement, evaluating your own position on an issue of special or public importance[1] is sometimes straightforward when based on your beliefs, values, and general knowledge. However, other times it is much harder to make up your mind about an issue because the territory is new to you or to humanity in general, or there are many competing or controversial values and ideas that go into forming the issue under discussion or dispute. When making up your own mind about the issue, it's important to have studied the varied perspectives before reaching your own conclusion. Even then, you are best served by keeping an open mind about future directions and understandings as new information transpires.

In this article, you'll be presented with some basic elements on how to make up your mind about an issue, particularly where it is complicated, divisive, and perhaps even untested.

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First human-like robot to fly in space

Robonaut 2, which NASA hopes to launch Feb. 3 aboard the space shuttle Discovery on a flight to its permanent home on the International Space Station, will be the first humanoidlike robot to fly in space. Based on technology nurtured in part at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View and built jointly by the space agency and General Motors, the robot has a head, two arms and a humanlike chest and shoulders. It has fingers, thumbs and wrists with enough dexterity to grip a pen and write "hello."
Rob Heyde spent more than 10 years working as an engineer for computer giants Hewlett-Packard and Apple. But when manufacturing jobs began moving out of the valley, Heyde's career path went from high-tech to high in the sky above Silicon Valley. Heyde, 56, now spends three nights a week hovering above Santa Clara County and providing a bird's-eye view for cops on the city streets below.

Santa Clara County schools will receive nearly $821,000 for technology purchases, and San Mateo County schools will receive nearly $306,000, in the second phase of a settlement of an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft.

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How to Prevent Migraines

The best option for people who suffer frequent or severe migraines is usually to try to prevent them. While prevention isn't always effective, there are a number of things you can do that have been proven to reduce the severity and frequency of migraines in many people. Here are suggestions for you to try.

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