Science fiction movies often tell tales of future discoveries that make us wish we were already there … - but in fact, the future is here, and we are surrounded by technological developments that prove time and again that there is no limit to what humanity can achieve and do. Scientists from all over the world work day and night to improve our lives, and they are slowly achieving positive results that can certainly change the whole world. Want to know exactly what these results are and how your life will change in the near future? Learn about the 10 most recent scientific discoveries in various fields.
A group of neurophysiologists from the United States and Russia did what seemed impossible until today - they gave a person who is paralyzed from the waist down the possibility of walking again! They did this with the help of electronic equipment intended for a completely different purpose - to reduce pain - but it turned out that the technology allowed people, paralyzed from the waist down, to move their lower extremities, even if the nerve damage in the area was very serious. According to neurophysiologists, the process of rehabilitation took 44 weeks, and as of writing, the person on whom the experiment was conducted can already stand on his own and walk on the treadmill.
Scientists from New Zealand have created the world's first 3-D full-color X-ray using a device based on the original X-ray machine. The new device uses particle detection technology called Medipix, which was also used in the large particle accelerator on the Swiss-French border used to find the Higgs boson, whose existence was only theoretical until 2012. MediPix technology works like a subatomic camera that provides high contrast images. Color x-rays clearly show differences between muscles, bones, and cartilages, as well as size and location of cancerous tumors.
This smart vest looks like a simple vest, but inside there are sensors and electrodes that do ECG, blood pressure and pulse tests 24 hours a day without the need for a doctor. The information derived from the tests is sent directly to one’s smartphone using an app. According to the inventor of the vest, there is even the possibility of predicting heart attacks two days in advance by identifying abnormal cardiac activity. The vest has already been tested on volunteers and has shown good results, and we can expect it to be available for purchase in the next few years.
This development comes from Israel, and these days researchers at Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Bar Ilan University are working on eye drops that can fix the cornea of the eye. This means that using these eye drops on a daily basis can permanently remove the need for glasses, and the product has already been tested and shown great results. The drops are effective for both nearsightedness and farsightedness, and according to one researcher, David Smadja, they can even prevent cataracts and make our vision better than it naturally is.
At first glance, Aerocar EHang 184 looks like a drone, but it is much more than that. This is a flying vehicle that can drive 2 people up to 15 kilometers away at a speed of 130 kilometers per hour, but this isn’t the most surprising thing. This flying vehicle doesn’t require a pilot because it is completely autonomous and has already been successfully tested in China. According to the developers of the flying vehicle, all passengers have to do is set their destination and off they’ll go.
Scientists from the EPFL Research Center in Switzerland have succeeded in creating a prototype of a hand that can be controlled with the power of thought. In previous versions, electrodes had to be attached to the hand under the skin of the body, but now these electrodes are kept in a helmet that just needs to be worn on the head. It is very easy to control the hand and the learning process takes only a few minutes. The device was tested on people with spinal injuries and those who have had a stroke. Now engineers are working on improvements to make this hand good enough for mass production.
In August 2017 experts at the University of Oregon in the United States succeeded in successfully modifying fetal genes that are responsible for the development of heart disease. With that being said, the significant innovation in biological engineering is that gene editing can also possibly be used in adults. A 44-year-old with Hunter’s syndrome – a rare genetic disorder - has undergone genetic modification to erase the disease, and researchers are still waiting to see the results of the process, and if they are positive, it will be possible to treat a host of serious genetics-related diseases through gene-editing.
Modern medicine is making huge strides in making the word "cancer" much less threatening. Although cancer can’t be cured completely, for the time being, it is possible that in the near future overcoming the disease will be much easier and simpler. As early as 2017, a number of people who had been battling cervical cancer received advanced treatment, in which a special drug was sent to the uterus using sperm. As a result, 90% of cancer cells were completely removed, and this method appears to be more effective than chemotherapy and may even replace it.
Science has long known that the red star was once full of liquid, and indeed has ice reservoirs, but researchers were still on the lookout for evidence that Mars has liquid water and they found it in July 2018. The Italian space agency found an underground water reservoir using advanced radar, according to them, they found a lake 20 km wide and 90 cm deep. This gives great hope to the future settlement on the planet, which is scheduled to start in the year 2022.
For years scientists have been trying to develop birth control pills for men, but the problem is that they have always been found to have severe side effects, such as causing extensive damage to the liver. However, in March 2018 researchers at the University of Washington announced that they may soon release the first anti-pregnancy pills for men which actually work and aren’t harmful. In pills, there is a combination of hormones that suppress sperm production, and like the pills that exist for women, they need to be taken regularly once a day. In addition to being effective, the subjects reported only minor side effects that did not impair their daily routine. One of the most prominent side effects was changes in cholesterol levels, but it is not yet a phenomenon that will rule out the possibility that these pills will be available for purchase in the near future.
image source: marsbioimaging, smartvest, EHANG / Youtube
