A matchbox-sized neck implant that delivers stimulating bursts of electricity could help stroke patients regain hand movements, scientists claim. The ‘Vivistim’ device, from Texas-based biotech firm MicroTransponder, stimulates the vagus nerve – a large nerve running from the head and neck to the abdomen. Vivistim stimulates the vagus nerve while the patient is undergoing rehabilitative movement, … Read more
The increasingly desperate search for Sarah Everard yesterday narrowed to rainswept woodland 55 miles from where she went missing. As officers painstakingly combed 500-acre Hoad’s Wood, locals said it was often used as a dumping ground. Two miles west of Ashford in Kent, the desolate spot is flanked by a railway line and an abandoned … Read more
Boris Johnson has ordered a probe into attempts by far-left activists to ‘hijack’ movements such as Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion. Bosses behind the investigation say they will look at the impact of ‘progressive extremism’ on cause groups – something described as a current ‘blind spot’ by those leading the probe. As well as … Read more
A school of robotic fish that are able to coordinate their movements underwater – just like real fish – have been created by a team of engineers. Harvard University experts created the fish-inspired bots to work without any external control, mimicking the collective behaviours groups of fish demonstrate. Schools of fish exhibit complex, synchronised behaviours … Read more
A school of robotic fish that are able to coordinate their movements underwater – just like real fish – have been created by a team of engineers. Harvard University experts created the fish-inspired bots to work without any external control, mimicking the collective behaviours groups of fish demonstrate. Schools of fish exhibit complex, synchronised behaviours … Read more
Music-induced emotions activate regions of the brain involved with processing sound and controlling movements, study reveals Brain scans allowed scientists to predict which songs participants were hearing Happy or sad music activated the auditory and motor cortex The auditory cortex helps us perceive sound, so it processes melody and rhythm The motor cortex plans and controls … Read more
The secret to getting a sound night of sleep may lie in picking up good vibrations — at least it does if you’re a fly, a study has concluded. Researchers from the US found that flies sleep longer if gently vibrated to sleep — and wake up feeling more alert afterwards — and the same … Read more
A person’s secret impulse to take a risk can be spotted simply by the way they move a cursor across a computer screen, a new study shows. In computerised gambling experiments, US participants had a choice of either clicking on a ‘safe’ option or a ‘risky’ option as they built up monetary rewards. Researchers say … Read more
A person’s secret impulse to take a risk can be spotted simply by the way they move a computer mouse across a screen, a new study shows. In computerised gambling experiments, US participants had a choice of either clicking on a ‘safe’ option or a ‘risky’ option as they built up monetary rewards. Researchers say … Read more
Some very clever cats are able to recognise and imitate human actions on command — even better than some dogs — a study has reported. Hungarian researchers worked with an 11-year-old kitty named Ebisu, who had been taught by her dog-trainer owner to copy her using the so-called ‘do-as-I-do’ method. This is a training regime long-applied … Read more