New Organ Officially Classified

Calvin Coffey, a surgeon and a professor at the University of Limerick, discovered that a mesentery, a structure that connects the intestines to the abdomen. The mesentery was known to scientists since the 1800s. Leonardo DiVinci knew about this structure and even included it in his illustration of the human anatomy. Until the discovery in November, the mesentery was believed to be a fragmented structure comprising of separate, smaller pieces. However, as Coffey’s work shows, the mesentery is in fact one continuous organ. The next step is to determine its exact function. Discoveries like this create huge opportunities to learn more about our bodies. Coffey said “If you understand the function you can identify abnormal function, and then you have disease, Put them all together and you have the field of mesenteric science… the basis for a whole new area of science.”

For more information:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/01/04/surgeon-uncovers-new-organ/96158008/

MIT Scientists Invent Revolutionary Material

A team of MIT scientists created one of the strongest lightweight materials. This material is created of graphene, a form of carbon that is considered to be the strongest material. However, graphene has yet to be regularly used since it is only one atom thick. These scientists were able to create a 3D sample by using extensive amounts of heat and pressure. After testing, they discovered that this is 10 times stronger than steel, but only 5% as dense. If the are able to mass produce this, the world of construction could drastically change. Because it is porous, it could be used to filter air and water. Also since it is carbon, it is stable, making it more resilient to the elements. Zhao Qin, one of the researchers, believes that this material could play a huge role in space, such as delivering supplies and being used to build structures. However, graphene is so expensive that it is not worth the costs, so the next step is to create a similar material from other organic materials, such as silk, using the same process.

For more information:

https://www.fastcodesign.com/3066988/mit-invented-the-material-well-need-to-build-in-space      

Consumer Electronics Show Highlights

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is an annual trade show, organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), at the beginning of each year designed for companies to show off their inventions in the field of technology. Some exhibits include:

LG’s new 4K OLED TV extremely light and thin. It attaches to the wall via magnets and looks like the tv is part of the wall.

The MoRo is a robot created by Eway Technology that is designed to do chores such as laundry and putting away groceries. It is about 4 feet tall and cylindrical. It can take commands and has a voice and facial recognition system. However, MoRo is $30,000

We all heard of smart phones, smart watches, and smart tvs. However, Rapael developed a smart glove that can be used to rehabilitate stroke patients. The patient wears the glove and does activities on an app. The app tracks the motions and monitors improvements.

For more exhibits: http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/06/technology/ces-2017-tech-highlights/index.html