For example, raising a hand in a stop sign would pause the action on TV, or if you flap a hand up or down will raise or lower the volume. This is only the default settings; you can customize it to suit you or your family. For instance, touching your right ear would increase volume, while touching your left ear would lower it. How convenient is that?

The TV comes with installed camera that can even recognize viewers and automatically change the channel to their favorite shows.

Toshiba said its gesture recognition system was already extremely accurate as it responded to the shape, color and motion of hands. No information yet provided regarding price and the time to go on sale.

If successful, the vaccine would be a key weapon in a flu pandemic.

Traditional influenza vaccines are designed to prompt an immune response to H and N proteins on the outer shell of the virus, but the problems is that these proteins are subject to mutation, and again, every years a vaccine has to be formulated on the basis of the strains likely to be most prominent.

How does the new vaccine work?

According to the study, researchers used a current technique used in malaria and TB vaccine, where the vaccine uses a weakened smallpox virus to carry the protein inside the cell. Now, once the virus had invaded the cell and starts to mutate and multiply, these inner proteins called (Matrix Protein 1 and nucleo-protein), are revealed to the immune system. Then, a type of immune cell called a T cell, recognize the virus and start destroying the virus immediately.

Human Trials:

The researcher team has already started testing the new vaccine on 12 people in the U.K to test the effectiveness in people exposed to flu. If the trials work, they will take the tests to the next level and it could drastically change the way flu vaccine is used.

“With having to make new vaccine every year there’s never enough to go around.

“With this vaccine, we could end up having pretty much everyone vaccinated - a situation more like measles where you don’t really see it anymore.”

Researchers are hoping to use the same technique to combat HIV, TB, malaria and even cancer.

Via BBC Health

Jerry Butler, PhD, professor emeritus at the University of Florida, said “Mosquitoes do exhibit blood-sucking preferences”, he also added, female mosquitoes need your blood to develop fertile eggs. (Male Mosquitoes don’t bite people.)

Who Mosquitoes Like Best

1.People with high concentrations of steroids or cholesterol on their skin surface attract mosquitoes.

2.People who produce excess amount of certain acids, such as uric acid.

3. Any type of carbon dioxide is attractive, even over a long distance. Larger people tend to give off more carbon dioxide, which is why mosquitoes typically prefer munching on adults to small children.

4. Pregnant women are also at increased risk, because they produce greater-than normal amount of exhaled carbon dioxide.

Most of the mosquito repellents available on the supermarket shelves derive their effectiveness from chemicals. And the most popular type of chemical is (DEET), it protects people for around 5 hours. Another mosquito repellent is oil of lemon eucalyptus, which is available under the Repel brand name. Not satisfied from chemical repellents? Do want to avoid chemicals? Here are some alternative non-chemical based repellents ” soybean oil-based repellent was able to protect from mosquito bites for about 1.5 hours, citronella, cedar, peppermint, lemongrass, and geranium — provide short-lived protection at best. Oil of eucalyptus products, however, may offer longer-lasting protection, preliminary studies show.

Source - WebMD

According to SRI ” Electroadhesive technology involves inducing electrostatic charges on a wall substrate using a power supply connected to compliant pads situated on the moving robot. SRI has demonstrated robust clamping to common building materials including glass, wood, metal, concrete, etc. with clamping pressures in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 N per square cm of clamp (0.8 to 2.3 pounds per square inch). The technology works on conductive and non-conductive substrates, smooth or rough materials, and through dust and debris.”

For future planes, SRI is hoping to build a human robot that can climb a wall, and and a service robot for cleaning windows, walls and buildings.

Source - SRI International

Relieved Anxiety: When chewing gum, participants reported lower levels of anxiety.
Gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety as compared to non-gum chewers by nearly 17 percent during mild stress and nearly 10 percent in moderate stress.

Increased Alertness: Participants experienced greater levels of alertness when they chewed gum.
Gum chewers showed improvement in alertness over non-gum chewers by nearly 19 percent during mild stress and 8 percent in moderate stress.

Reduced Stress: Stress levels were lower in participants who chewed gum.

The study found also that gum chewers showed a level of increase in their performance on multi-task activities. I usually dont chew gum at all, but with these findings I think I am going to change my mind and adapt the habit.

Source - Eurekalert

Tom Lemm, 15, from Pontefract, lost his left arm after suffering from cancer “a tumor” at the top of the limb. Tom’s surgeons said that they removed the whole arm and shoulder, and then used the elbow joint and tissue from the arm to reconstruct a shoulder joint. Professor Kay told the BBC: “The most awful thing for an upper limb reconstructive surgeon to do is to remove an arm - it’s a dreadful thing to do.

“But by using the bits that would be discarded, you can pluck a little bit of comfort.”
He said Tom’s new shoulder will be able to support an artificial limb. “This will be a tremendous advantage.” BBC

Tom told the sun’s newspaper “I was very upset at losing my arm but then the prof told me what he planned to do.

“I hope the fact it has worked for me gives others hope.”

‘I never dreamed I would walk again. After I was wounded, I forgot what it’s like,’ said Kaiof, who was injured while serving in the Israeli military in 1988.”

‘Only when standing up can I feel how tall I really am and speak to people eye to eye, not from below.’

The new device is called “ReWalk”, and its a human electronic exoskeleton consist of motorized leg support, body sensors and back pack containing a computerized control box and chargeable batteries. But users need crutches to help with balance.

ReWalk will be in the market in 2010, and according to the company, it will cost around 20,000$.

Source - Yahoo News

Having these over-the-counter  drugs in drinking water, worry many doctors and scientists around the United States of long-term consequences to human health.

Source - UStoday

Doctors extract fat from anywhere in a woman’s body, fortified with stem cells results in breast that look and feel more natural than those with silicone implants. However, doctors fear from that fact that the procedure may produce long-term problems including breast cancer. No information yet provided about the cost of stem cell breast augmentation or the recovery time.

Source - UPI