Apr 012011
 

Scientists Discover LifeThe human body is composed of elements such as oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sulfur, sodium, magnesium, copper and lithium (more lithium is in the system of those with bipolar disorder).

So, for the first time in history, scientists at MIT, UCLA, Johns Hopkins, and Dow Chemical have discovered that by adding these elements which are the basic building blocks to mankind in a scientific bell jar along with other proprietary minerals and chemicals with just the right amount of sunlight, the life as we know it will spontaneous appear and grow.

In past experiments scientists were able to achieve similar success, but small live DNA samples were needed for the experimental substance to cling to and complete. In the MIT experiment, however, no life form was in the test tube – only the elements, chemicals and minerals already mentioned.

A laser was used at first to start the chain reaction, followed by small amounts of sunlight and finally a strobe light. What the scientists found upon close inspection is that a human egg and sperm had spontaneously united which has huge religious, moral and spiritual implications.

The question of where does life come from is not often answered by “a test tube”. And, so it is done. The future of life will be created in test tubes from scratch. And if this weren’t an April Fool’s joke it would be pretty cool, now wouldn’t it?

Face Transplants and Future Repercussions

 Future Medical Technology  Comments Off on Face Transplants and Future Repercussions
Mar 232011
 

Last week the first full face transplant in the U. S. occurred at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Once again, science fiction has become science fact, due to the miracles of modern medicine. But, besides the awesomeness of this successful experiment that can only be compared to the one time I dreamed about the bipolar nature of ninja zombies, one other thing struck me.

This face transplant (and four future face transplants) was funded by no other than the U. S. Department of Defense. Now, at first glance this sounds fine if you think that soldiers on the battlefield who have been blown up may one day come home to a fresh face and a new life.

Future Face Transplants

Future face transplants will be based upon current, emerging technology.

But, the conspiracy theorist in me says different. Why would first line soldiers who have trouble getting a new foot from the VA be getting a new million dollar face? My vivid imagination says that this future medical  technology may be reserved for high level spies and even heads of state in hiding.

According to The Beatles, Eleanor Rigby, “Waits at the window, wearing a face that she keeps in a jar by the door. Who is it for?” This may just be a metaphor, but we all know how medical science can be hijacked and used for less than puritanical purposes. LSD experiments on soldiers, anyone? Who is that for?

Google recently filed a facial recognition patent so that basically a person can take your picture in public, then make the link to your Facebook profile and find out all sorts of details about you. So much for being anonymous to strangers in public.

Anonymity is important to many people. This is what has driven the Internet for year and why uses of avatars and personas are so prevalent. Future face transplants may fulfill this need for anonymity.

But, this is not what I personally fear. What I fear is the future butt recognition software that is now being developed in the deep recesses of the Microsoft labs. You see once a year I like to hop on my motorcycle and drive out the Burning Man wearing my ass-less chaps. What I seek is a certain amount of anonymity and no tell-tail connections to my Facebook page.

And also, the next time I happen to be sitting on the office photocopy machine making copies of my butt I don’t want to be recognized by some crack head with a cell phone. Is this too much to ask?

Feb 072011
 

The medical profession is no different from a shoe store, a railroad track company, or a financial investment conglomerate which is seeking to expand into international markets and the reason for this is that breakthroughs and developments in technology will be determined by costs and reductions in them. In other words, robotic surgery will save money.

Perhaps the only qualifying statement that can be added to this observation is that ultimately, the medical profession will seek to provide the most cost effective solution to patient care, without ever compromising the actual quality of the care provided.

Robotic Surgery

Robotic Surgery

There has been a great deal of controversy within the medical profession concerning the reliability, cost effectiveness and relevance of robotic surgery. To some medical professionals, it represents nothing more than the “Emperor’s new clothes” syndrome taken to extreme lengths. Or to put it more bluntly, the critics say that progress is made simply for the sake of making progress and that something new is automatically associated as being better.

Others argue that the usage of robotic surgery may still have some teething problems that need to be resolved but ultimately, the technology has a lot of potential and which could radically improve the efficiency and productivity of the profession as a whole.

With that in mind then, the following is a comparison of both the benefits and drawbacks attributed to the usage of robotic surgery.

Benefits of robotic surgery

• The fact that a surgeon will be able to manipulate the robot from a centralized distance means that the surgery can be performed in a less restrictive manner. This means that the patient can be treated and operated on with a minimum of staff which in turn, reduces costs.
• The fact that surgeons can perform surgery from a distance also benefits the quality of healthcare for the patient as they are able to enjoy the reduction in the costs, as well as a greater degree of flexibility in regard to the areas they are can be treated.
• Doctors will tire and become fatigued, which in turn, reduces their concentration and ability to focus. A surgeon who has been working for several hours without a break will find that he will struggle to hold the scalpel steady and so this places considerable strain on the operating surgeon. With robotic surgery this concern is reduced, even eliminated.
• Robotic surgery will allow for a much greater degree of precision and accuracy to be achieved whenever certain types of surgical procedures are being used, such as orthopedic surgery, or neurological.

Disadvantages of robotic surgery

• Currently, the major limiting factor that is stunting the development of robotic surgery is that of “latency” which is the time delay between the instructions issued by the surgeon and the movement of the robot which responds to the instructions. With the current level of technology, the surgeon must be in close proximity.
• Robotic technology is extremely expensive both in terms of capital costs, as well as running expenses and will require the training of specialized personnel to properly repair and care for it. Such expenses may far outweigh any savings earned at the present time.

The last point is true will almost all emerging technologies. When numbers are small, prices are high. With economies of scale however, the price of machinery, maintenance and training will all go down to reasonable levels.

If you’d like a look at other future medical technology then this link will take you to a doorway to the short years ahead of us.