In the journal Science Robotics, an international group of robotic experts wrote an editorial arguing COVID-19 “may drive further research in robotics to address risks of infectious diseases,” and urging more funding. The Washington Post reports: Robots already have been enlisted in the fight against the virus. In Hong Kong, a fleet of miniature robots disinfects the city’s subways; in China,…
Tag: medications
Why Are HIV Drugs Being Used To Treat the New Coronavirus?
Gizmodo’s Ed Cara explains why HIV drugs are being used to treat the new coronavirus. An anonymous reader shares the report: On Tuesday, the Japanese government announced it will begin clinical trials to test treatments for the deadly new coronavirus that’s engulfed China and spread to over two dozen countries. Rather than new drugs, they’ll be studying existing medications already used…
Northrop Grumman Launches Spacecraft Delivering Snacks and Equipment To the ISS
Space.com has footage of Northrop Grumman’s successful launch of a spacecraft that’s bringing 7,500 pounds of supplies (as well as scientific equipment for experiments) to the astronauts on the International Space Station:
Those experiments include studies into bone loss from prolonged exposure to weightlessness, bacteria-targeting viruses that could lead to new medications, as well as some cowpeas to be grown as part…
Cocktail of Flu, HIV Drugs Appears to Help Fight Coronavirus: Thai Doctors
An anonymous reader quotes Reuters:
Thai doctors have seen success in treating severe cases of the new coronavirus with combination of medications for flu and HIV, with initial results showing vast improvement 48 hours after applying the treatment, they said on Sunday… “This is not the cure, but the patientâ(TM)s condition has vastly improved. From testing positive for 10 days under our…
Chronic Pain is an Impossible Problem
A “safe” alternative to opioid painkillers turns out to be not so safe. From a report: Gabapentin was supposed to be the answer. Chronic pain afflicts about a fifth of American adults, and for years, doctors thought it could be treated with prescription painkillers like Oxycontin. But as the drugs began killing the equivalent of three planeloads of Americans every week,…
UPS Drone Makes First Home Prescription Deliveries For CVS
UPS subsidiary Flight Forward has completed the first prescription medication delivery to a customer’s home by drone. Reuters reports: Flight Forward’s maiden delivery flight on Friday in Cary, North Carolina, beat rivals in one phase of the race for the nascent market. The second drone flight delivered medications to a public space at a retirement community. The packages, roughly the size…
Asthma Carbon Footprint ‘As Big As Eating Meat’
Cambridge University researchers say some inhalers are bad for the environment because they release greenhouse gases linked to global warming. They recommend patients with asthma talk to their doctors to see if there’s a “greener” medication they could switch to to help cut their carbon footprint and save the environment. The BBC reports: There are more than five million people with…
Study: Many Popular Medical Apps Send User Info To 3rd Or 4th Parties
dryriver writes: A study in the British Medical Journal that looked at 24 of the 100s of Medical apps available on Google Play found that 79% pass all sorts of user info — including sensitive medical info like what your reported symptoms are and what medications you are taking in some cases — on to third and fourth parties. A German-made…
Vermicomposting | Fertilize With Worm Castings
Vermicomposting is worming its way onto farms everywhere. Here’s why you should fertilize with worm castings, and how to grow your own worm composting unit. Vermicomposting For The Homestead I’m always looking for new ways on the farm to reuse, recycle and repurpose, and there’s nothing I love more than an opportunity to reduce the…Continue Reading
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German Entrepreneur Wants To Develop Lab-Grown Psilocybin
nightcats writes: A German capitalist wants to promote everything from psychological research, applied clinical uses of psychedelics, and even peace in the Mideast, with the help of lab-grown magic mushrooms. “Today, with a net worth of roughly $400 million accrued through various enterprises, [Christian] Angermayer is one of the driving forces behind the movement to turn long-shunned psychoactive substances, like the…