Research Highlights

A stroke of luck

Motorcyclists may not be the only ones looking to helmets for safety. Bioengineers have designed a prototype "brain helmet" that displays real-time images of the head's major blood vessels, which might assist emergency personnel in detecting strokes earlier. About 780,000 Americans suffer a stroke every year and it is the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer, according to the American Stroke Association.

Scanning for schizophrenia

After testing the genomes of more than 1,500 individuals, scientists have found a rare structural mutation in DNA to be at least partially responsible for causing schizophrenia. These alterations, known as copy number variants, are deletions or duplications of large segments of DNA. Although CNVs are common throughout the genome, only schizophrenics have deletions of more than two million bases long, suggesting that CNVs may be pathogenic to these individuals.

A new fleet of doctors

Surgeons needing a steady hand may simply wish to turn to a mechanical one. Employing 3-D ultrasound technology, a newly designed rudimentary tabletop robot was able to detect and accurately locate a piece of metal in a simulated sponge breast, and perform a biopsy to remove the item. The researchers who developed the robot foresee a situation in which a woman would be able to obtain a mammogram and if necessary, have a robot remove a tissue sample.