Articles by Tina Shah
Universal Robots: Robotic Arm Used By BMW Is Making Life Easier
Universal Robots' UR5 and UR10 robot arms are used in BMW's assembly and production lines, working side by side with humans to streamline processes. How could using these safe, uncaged robots change the future of production?
European Inventor Armed with Lab-on-a-Chip Fights Infectious Disease and Personalizes Skin Care
Professor Chris Toumazou talks about his next-generation sequencing platform and how it's joining the fight against antimicrobial resistance. It also is helping personalize the field of skin care.
CES 2015: Why Caregiving Deserves More Tech Focus
At the International CES Digital Health Summit, technology focusing on caregiving for seniors is discussed. What makes some tech beneficial, and where do other companies fail?
CES 2015: DIY Health, Making the Data Work For You
DIY health trends, the application of data to personal care managment, is growing steadily. David Schlanger, CEO of WebMD, discusses the advantages and pitfalls of DIY health at the International CES Digital Health Summit.
CES 2015: Digital Health Trends, What’s Hot, What’s Not?
Which trends in digital health will help us improve our lives the most in the coming years? The following is a review of the trends by a panel of experts at the International CES Digital Health Summit.
Concussions and Brain Injuries on the Field: Better Communication is Deterrent to Sports Tragedies
As football players face more concussion and traumatic brain injury-related tragedies, physicians, researchers and coaches are trying harder to understand how these can be prevented, or at least reduced. i1 Biometrics, a Seattle-based wearable technology company, introduces a mouth guard that can potentially change the face of football.
The big picture of diversity: Zooming in to see U.S.’s racial divides
Have you ever wanted, or needed, to visually see what kinds of diversity different regions of the U.S. offer? University of Cincinnati researchers just released two large-scale, high-resolution maps that let you do just that.
No Planet B: Why I am glad I went to the People's Climate March
Getting caught up in the action may be the best way to inspire everyone to get involved and care. Here's why the People's Climate March on Sept. 21 reminded me that I'm not a useless bystander.
Soft but hardy: Harvard’s robot withstands snow, fire and getting run over by a car
Researchers at Harvard build a soft robot that is untethered and able to handle extreme situations. The silicon robot will be used for search and rescue missions in the future.
Physically fit adolescents benefit from decreased risk of depression
A study conducted with middle school girls and boys found that those that are not physically fit show significantly more symptoms of depression than those that perform well on fitness tests. The study found the results were stronger for girls.
A deadly war: Stealthy brain tumors hide from immune system’s best defense fighters
Researchers have discovered that brain tumor cells, specificaly in gliomas, can make excess galectin-1 protein to hide from detection by the immune system until the tumor is too large to be treated.
Is a one-way mission to Mars ethical? Is it sane?
Mason Peck, Mars One adviser, answers the question "Is a one-way mission to Mars sane?" Would you sign up for a one-way trip to Mars? Or does moving to the Red Planet with just 24 to 40 other people for the rest of your life sound like borderline (or, perhaps, complete) insanity? Starting in 2024, Mars One, a not-for-profit organization, plans to send one-way missions to colonize Mars.
Less energy, more aggression? Study finds counterintuitive response in insects
A study at the University of Illinois found that insects--specifically bees and fruit flies--exhibited increased aggression when oxidative phosphorylation, a significant step in the metabolic process of generating energy, was suppressed.
Sandwich-Making Method Gets More Advanced By Cornell Researchers
Cornell physicists develop a method of layering atoms for thin films to place in electronic devices after conducting a study that found that simply layering the atoms like a conventional sandwich caused certain layers to flip, producing ineffective films.
Anthroturbation: The scarring of our planet
Geologists at the University of Leicester in England examined the amount of subterranean scarring we humans have caused through digging, drilling and mining. The disturbances are extensive, they found, and the damage is unprecedented and unpredictable.
Mapping the secrets of artistic prosperity: Science quantifies the history of culture
A study conducted at Northeastern University analyzed the migration and mobility patterns of notable intellectuals in North America over the last 2,000 years. The resulting visual is as beautiful as the art many of them produced.
Wildfires may be more dangerous than previously thought
Scientists at Stanford University created a computer model simulation to calculate the degree to which biomass burning--from agriculture and wildfires--contributes to global warming, and found the results to be more dire than they expected.
To boldly grow: Mars Plant Experiment team vies for spot on 2020 Mars rover
NASA's Mars Plant Experiment aims to attach a small greenhouse to its 2020 Mars rover to test the growth of plants in a low gravity environment.
Dial it down: Noise-induced hearing loss damages ability to understand speech
A study conducted with rats at UT Dallas shows that loud noises for long periods of time not only lead to permanent hearing loss, but also loss of the ability to distinguish speech sounds.
Antarctic ice sheet formed by CO2 reduction, not shifting continents, says study
Scientists model the formation of the Antarctic ice sheet and argue that the textbook theory of climate change caused by continental rearrangement did not cause the glaciation 34-million-years ago, but rather a steep reduction in CO2 levels caused climate patterns to shift.
New weight-management app Kurbo keeps kids and adults conscientious and healthy
Kurbo Health, a smartphone app inspired by Stanford's childhood obesity program, helps kids (and adults) keep track of the foods they eat. It lets them track foods they shouldn't eat and their progress along the way to a healthier life.
Researchers develop bio-adhesives inspired by barnacles
Researchers at Clemson University develop strong adhesive material for medical and industrial applications while improving anti-fouling coatings on naval ships after understanding the mechanisms used by immensely sticky barnacles.
Ditch your glasses for a vision-correcting display
Scientists at UC Berkeley and MIT have developed a prototype of a vision-correcting display that allows users to view screens without glasses or any form of corrective lens.
Electrical pattern in brain discovered to mark susceptibility to stress
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center found that the electrical signaling pattern between two brain regions related to fear and stress determine the brain's response to chronically stressful situations, shedding light on a possible predictor of stress-related mental illness that goes beyond genetics.
HI-SEAS mission prepares to 'return to Earth' from Hawaiian-Mars simulation
Six volunteers have spent the last four months inside a dome on a Hawaiian volcano as part of the HI-SEAS mission to simulate the physical and psychological aspects of a manned Mars mission. They return on August 1.
New cool burning flame discovered in International Space Station experiments
A study conducted on the ISS, controlled remotely by scientists on earth, showed that in a microgravity environment, droplets of heptane combust with an invisible cool flame. This combustion reaction, if recreated on earth, could pave way for cleaner, more efficient car engines.
Scientists discover important factor in memory formation
Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered that astrocytes, supportive cells in the brain, are largely in control of gamma waves which, when disrupted, often result in memory and attention disorders such as Alzheimer's and autism.
Sea level rise increases dangerous 'nuisance flooding' in U.S. coastal regions
An NOAA study shows that nuisance flooding has increased 920 percent over the last fifty years and attributes the threat to climate-related sea level rise.
Study shows trees save many lives—are tree-huggers onto something?
The first study to directly link trees' air pollution removal to human health shows that a significant amount of lives are saved and countless respiratory problems averted thanks to trees.
Progression of Parkinson's slowed by new drug therapy
A study conducted at Emory shows that XPro1595 slows the advancing of Parkinson's disease in rats, when administered subcutaneously.
