The five most-read stories this week on Scope were:
Stanford bioengineer develops a 50-cent paper microscope: Manu Prakash, PhD, assistant professor of bioengineering, has developed an ultra-low-cost paper microscope to aid disease diagnosis in developing regions. The device is further described in a technical paper.
This is your brain on a computer chip: Stanford bioengineer Kwabena Boahen, PhD, and graduate student Ben Varkey Benjamin have modeled one million neurons in real time on a circuit-board called Neurogrid that contains sixteen chips called Neurocores. An accompanying video shows how the team is working with Neurogrid to drive robot movement.
Changing views on dietary fiber’s role in weight loss: As reported by Nature News, a recent study has found that dietary fiber’s role in weight loss, commonly attributed to releasing appetite-suppressing hormones in the gut, may be a matter of the mind.
Stanford’s senior associate dean of medical education talks admissions, career paths: In a video from this year's Med School 101, Charles Prober, MD, senior associate dean of medical education at Stanford, discussed medical specialties and opportunities in research, education and patient care that someone with an MD can pursue. He also described factors the School of Medicine's admissions team considers when selecting candidates.
Knitting as ritual – with potential health benefits?: A piece on The Checkup covers recent research on how activities such as knitting and crocheting may have therapeutic effects in certain populations, including a study in women hospitalized for anorexia.
And still going strong – the most popular post from the past:
Researchers explain how “cooling glove” can improve exercise recovery and performance: The “cooling glove,” a device that helps people cool themselves quickly by using their hand to dissipate heat, was created more than a decade ago by Stanford biologists Dennis Grahn and Craig Heller, PhD. This video demonstrates the device and explains how it can be used to dramatically improve exercise recovery and performance.
