July 30, 2007
First Motorized Prosthetic Foot Unveiled
A Massachusetts based prosthetics company, has unveiled a motor driven prosthetic ankle and foot developed by engineers from MIT and Brown University. The prosthesis has a built-in power source and springs that mimic the action of a human ankle, allowing wearers to walk more easily and with a less pronounced limp. Many leg amputees suffer from back pain as a result of traditional prosthetic use; this new prosthesis reduces the exertion that leads to such back pain. Clinical trials are set to begin in March.July 29, 2007
rowlock
DEFINITION: (noun) A holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing.
SYNONYMS: thole, tholepin, peg, pin, oarlock.
USAGE: It was that dull kind of a regular sound that comes from oars working in rowlocks when it's a still night.
Maria Gaetana Agnesi
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Agnesi was an Italian linguist, mathematician, and philosopher. Credited with writing the first book discussing both differential and integral calculus, she was a child prodigy. When she was 9, she composed and delivered an hour-long speech in Latin to an academic gathering; she spoke of women's right to education. By the age of 13, she was fluent in at least 7 languages. At age 20, however, she withdrew from society, avoiding all social interaction. She was the 2nd woman to be appointed what?Sodas Linked to Increased Heart Risk
Results of a new study indicate that people who drink 1 or more soft drinks per day have a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors strongly linked to heart disease. Surprisingly, risk of metabolic syndrome decreased only slightly among diet soda drinkers, and remained 44% higher than for those who do not drink soda daily. The American Heart Association has noted that the results do not mean that soft drinks cause metabolic syndrome, only that there is a link between the two.July 28, 2007
jalopy
DEFINITION: (noun) An old, dilapidated motor vehicle, especially an automobile.
SYNONYMS: heap, bus.
USAGE: The jalopy didn't even make it to the junkyard, breaking into a thousand pieces as soon as we climbed inside.
Sir Walter Scott
Mary, I believed thee true, And I was blest in thus believing; But now I mourn that ever I knew A girl so fair and so deceiving.Salmonella
Salmonella is a certain type of bacteria, several species of which are responsible for typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, and food poisoning in humans. It is usually contracted from poultry, meat, or raw eggs and from food that has been cooked or frozen and not eaten right away. Salmonella poisoning could also result from handling reptiles, such as iguanas or terrapins, which commonly host the bacteria. According to the US government, what percentage of chickens is contaminated with salmonella?Goat Milk to Defend Against Nerve Gas?
The human enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE) has long been investigated as a powerful antidote against the poisonous organophosphate compounds found in insecticides and nerve gasses. Now, scientists have created genetically modified goats that produce large quantities of recombinant BCHE in their milk. Though humans naturally produce BCHE, purification from human blood cannot produce quantities sufficient for large scale use. The drug, which can neutralize nerve agents such as VX and sarin gasses, will be known commercially as Protexia.July 27, 2007
tractable
DEFINITION: (adjective) Easily managed or controlled; governable.
SYNONYMS: manipulable.
USAGE: I felt him become suddenly tractable again like an animal, like a good-tempered horse when the object that scares him is removed.
Poppy
The poppy family is composed chiefly of herbs from the Northern Hemisphere that have characteristic milky or colored sap. Most species are native to the Old World, and many are cultivated in gardens for their brilliantly colored, if short-lived, blossoms. The opium poppy is grown for its opium as well as for its seeds for cooking and baking. The poppy has been the symbol of the dead and of sleep since antiquity. How were poppies referenced in the popular TV show Seinfeld?- » About
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