Soon, a robot hand with a ‘touch feel’
Very soon, an armless person can get a smart robotic hand which can feel the touch. Not only this, the robot hand will convey real-time sensory information to the amputees via a direct interface with the brain, says a study by the University of Chicago which marks an important step toward a new technology that would increase the dexterity and clinical viability of robotic prosthetic limbs. “To restore sensory motor function of an arm, you not only have to replace the motor signals that the brain sends to the arm to move it around, but you also have to replace the sensory signals that the arm sends back to the brain,” said the study’s author, Sliman Bensmaia.
Bacon can harm man’s fertility
Men who eat just one rasher of bacon a day could be reducing their chances of becoming fathers. Half a portion of processed meat such as a rasher or a small sausage can harm sperm quality. Those who want to boost the odds of having a child should eat fish instead – with species such as cod or halibut appearing to have a particularly dramatic effect on fertility. The findings add to the growing evidence that a couple’s chances of having children is strongly governed by their lifestyle – with smoking, alcohol and stress having a detrimental effect and exercise and diet enhancing it. Experts are still unclear why certain foods can harm or promote fertility, but red meat is thought to contain high levels of pesticides and other substances that can interfere with hormones. White fish is rich in zinc, which is believed to boost fertility.
Apes comfort each other the way we do
In a study of young bonobos at an African sanctuary, scientists found that the socially and emotionally “competent” among the group were more likely to cuddle other apes to comfort them when they were in distress. In turn those bonobos were more likely to recover quickly from an upsetting experience, such as a fight. This mirrors the way that children have been found to react, suggesting the primates manage their emotions in much the same way. The researchers believe that, as in humans, the bond between mother and offspring may play a crucial role in developing the social competence in our close primate relatives. “Young bonobos showed the same connection between the ability to regulate their own emotions and social competence, such as developing friendships and concern for others,” says the study.