Genetically Modified Mice Could Be Tiny Landmine-Sniffing Heroes
Researchers have created mice that are 500 times more sensitive than usual to TNT. They could provide a cheap, fast way to find buried explosives.
Contributors
Susan Young
Follow @twitterapiBiomedicine Editor
I’m the biomedicine editor for MIT Technology Review. I look for stories where technology stands to improve human health or advance our understanding of the human condition.
I joined MIT Technology Review in March 2012 after a brief stint in the Washington, D.C., news bureau of the scientific journal Nature. Before I ventured to the East Coast, I spent several years in the San Francisco Bay Area as a doctoral student in molecular biology and one whirlwind year in science-writing boot camp in Santa Cruz.
In California, I wrote for the Stanford University press offices, the Multiple Sclerosis Discovery Forum, and the Salinas Californian newspaper. I grew up in a small town in eastern Texas, surrounded by bird song, rolling cattle fields, and lanky pine trees. When I’m not exploring health tech, you will probably find me cooking or giggling over an exceptional LOLcat.
Susan Young's Stories
Type
Stem Cells Reveal Defect in Parkinson's Cells
The nuclei of brain stem cells in some Parkinson's patients become misshapen with age. The discovery opens up new ways to target the disease.
Brain Implant Detects, Responds to Epilepsy
Medtronic's device can sense changes in brain activity related to disease.
Can a Blood Test Detect Autism Early?
A company has developed a simple blood test to identify most cases of autism—but determining if it really works is not so simple.
Car Could Check Your Heart Rate While You Drive
Researchers think drivers could use their sensor-laden Mini Cooper as an aid to health.
Electronic Implant Dissolves in the Body
The technology could enable therapeutic and diagnostic devices that are absorbed by the body after they are no longer needed.
By Simply Sharing, Doctors Could Unlock the Genome's Potential
Software that enables collaboration between labs could make it easier for doctors to translate genome information.
DNA Sequencing Leader Buys into Prenatal Testing
Illumina wants a greater part of the reproductive-health market, says CEO Jay Flatley.
Chinese Genomics Company Buys Sequencing Startup
Complete Genomics' race to lower the costs of DNA sequencing didn't yield business success.
A Brain Implant that Thinks
A monkey study suggests that neural implants could one day help brain-damaged patients perform specific cognitive tasks.
