Filed under: Robots

Two Israeli scientists may have created the catalyst for a medical revolution with their new project: a tiny, 1-millimeter-diameter robot which is capable of crawling through human veins and arteries. The bot can cling to vessel walls using small, powerful arms which protrude from a hub in its center. Manned control is accomplished by using a magnetic field outside of the body, and the robot is able to swim against the flow of blood, as well as squeeze through a variety of arterial openings. Right now the doctors don't know what the medical applications might be, though they speculate that a large number of the bots could be used to fight certain types of cancer. Other ideas on the table include using the bots to exact revenge on anyone opposing their crazy ideas.

[Thanks, Ralph]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

In groundbreaking research, scientists have demonstrated the ability to strategically attach gold nanoparticles - particles on the order of billionths of a meter - to proteins so as to form sheets of protein-gold arrays. The nanoparticles and methods to create nanoparticle-protein complexes can be used to help decipher protein structures, to identify functional parts of proteins, and to "glue" together new protein complexes. Applications envisioned by the researchers include catalysts for converting biomass to energy and precision "vehicles" for targeted drug delivery.

Boys with autism and autism spectrum disorder had higher levels of hormones involved with growth in comparison to boys who do not have autism, researchers report. They believe that the higher hormone levels might explain the greater head circumference seen in many children with autism.

Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have identified the gene that accounts for most cases of Goltz syndrome, a rare skin disorder that can also affect bone and eye development.

Crystal methamphetamine use among young adults in the United States is considerably higher than previous surveys indicate, according to new research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study, published in the July issue of the journal Addiction, found 2.8 percent of young adults (ages 18-26) reported use of crystal methamphetamine in the past year during 2001-2002.

Filed under: Cellphones

In perhaps a move to stave off some rumblings of disappointment that typing on Apple's soon-to-be ubiquitous new device may be a little less "intuitive" than they had hoped, the company has added a new video into its iPhone movie catalogue detailing the "correct" operation of the phone's virtual keyboard. Interestingly, the video outlines the use of a heretofore unseen feature -- the magnifying glass -- which allows you to reposition your cursor while typing. Check the link for a whole bunch of one-finger typing.

[Thanks, Isabelle]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Asustek launched a smartphone with a touch-sensitive screen, running Windows Mobile 6, just days ahead of the launch of the iPhone.

It's a little hard to imagine an identity thief trying to pass themselves off as Prince Charles, but as reader Jimmy alerts us, the heir to the throne did have personal data on a laptop that was stolen from his accountant. Apparently, the Prince is quite worried about the loss. At this point, it hardly needs repeating that it's a bad idea to keep personal data directly on laptops, given the ease with which they can be stolen. While the Prince probably doesn't have too much to worry about, we just hope he's been offered a free year's worth of credit monitoring to alleviate his anguish.