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Category: biotech/medical – Page 863

Transhumanism: Will Humans Become Cyborgs?

Transhumanism — advocates strongly for humans to develop and make widely available sophisticated technologies that enhance human physiology and intellect greatly. In layman’s terms, transhumanists would like for human beings to become cyborgs; cybernetic organisms.

As such, transhumanist concepts feature greatly in science fiction. Cyborgs are commonly seen in all forms of science fiction media…

Concepts of transhumanism and the wish to improve human physiology beyond normal bounds comes from an age-old human desire. That desire is the desire for immortality. Such wishes have been expressed in literature and rhetoric as far back as the early Bronze Age.

It would still take quite some time after the industrial revolution for early transhumanist thinking to develop. Advanced technological growth could eventually allow humans to accomplish much more than a fully fit natural born and grown human can.

As of 2020, transhumanists are playing an established role in global politics in the west, with many of them even being elected to legislature within their respective states. For now, transhumanism just seems like a concept that may or may not be realized practically in the distant future, far beyond our lifetimes.

While being engrossed in our fantasies about the possibilities that may be brought about by cybernetic enhancements to the human body, we tend to forget the important minor details that are very easy to miss. In case of a parts malfunction leading to injury of other people, who is liable? The wearer or the manufacturer of the part?

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Researchers make breakthrough in functional human tissue 3D printing

Nominations are now open for the 3D Printing Industry Awards 2023. Who are the leaders in 3D printing? Find out on November 30th when the winners across twenty categories will be announced during a London-based live awards ceremony.

A team of scientists from the University of Sydney and the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) at Westmead have leveraged 3D photolithographic printing to fabricate functional human tissues that accurately mimic an organ’s architecture.

The researchers utilized bioengineering and cell culture techniques to instruct stem cells derived from blood cells and skin cells to become specialized. These specialized cells can then form organ-like structures.

Novel approach uses machine learning for quick and easy rheumatic disease diagnosis

In a recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, researchers evaluated fluorescence optical imaging (FOI) as a method to accurately and rapidly diagnose rheumatic diseases of the hands.

They used machine learning algorithms to identify the minimum number of FOI features to differentiate between osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and connective tissue disease (CTD). Of the 20 features identified as associated with the conditions, results indicate that reduced sets of features between five and 15 in number were sufficient to diagnose each of the diseases under study accurately.

Paralysis can rob people of their ability to speak. Now researchers hope to give it back

That early experience drove his professional interest in helping people communicate.

Now, Henderson’s an author on one of two papers published Wednesday showing substantial advances toward enabling speech in people injured by stroke, accident or disease.

Although still very early in development, these so-called brain-computer interfaces are five times better than previous generations of the technology at “reading” brainwaves and translating them into synthesized speech. The successes suggest it will someday be possible to restore nearly normal communication ability to people like Henderson’s late father.

Screening during IVF for inherited diseases greatly reduces costs of care

For prospective parents who are carriers of many inherited diseases, using in vitro fertilization along with genetic testing would significantly lower health care expenditures, according to researchers at Stanford Medicine.

Preimplantation genetic diagnostic testing during IVF, or PGD-IVF, is being used to screen for single-gene defect conditions such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease and Tay-Sachs disease, along with nearly 400 others.

The problem is that the high cost of IVF — and the lack of coverage by all but one state Medicaid program, that of New York — makes it unavailable to millions of people at risk. The majority of private employer health benefit plans also do not cover IVF.

Common hormone could hold key to treating endometrial cancer

New research from QIMR Berghofer has found that the hormone testosterone may play an important role in the development of endometrial cancer.

The discovery raises exciting new possibilities for screening, preventing and fighting this increasingly prevalent disease.

Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Australian women and its incidence is rising. Yet are limited, with a hysterectomy often the first line of defense.