3 QUESTIONS. 3 HINTS. 3 ANSWERS. EVERY TUESDAY.
1. What might really be the culprit behind stretch marks?
Here’s a visual hint:
Here’s the answer:
A recent study published by 23andMe (a company that provides genetic testing), established a correlation between stretch marks and a variant adjacent to the ELN gene which encodes for elastin. This is not good news for the manufacturers of creams, tonics and other dermatological ointments that promise to erase those unsightly marks. Read more here.
2. What can you get these days for $429 to optimize brain fitness and performance?
Here’s a hint:
Here’s the answer:
There is a market out there! So thinks Emotiv Insight, the developer of a wireless headset, designed to “monitor brain activity and translate it into meaningful data you can understand.” With a bundle of brain-activity tracking options and corresponding data, look at it as a personal fitness monitor for the brain. The $429 price-tag is for the all-inclusive device.
3. What is really, really old but really, really new?
Here’s a visual:
The answer is:
In short, ancient Roman nanotechnology. The Lycurgus Cup, created around the fourth century, exhibits a color-changing property that allows its glass, composed of minuscule particles of silver and gold, take on different hues. According to Smithsonian Magazine, “When hit with light, electrons belonging to the metal flecks vibrate in ways that alter the color depending on the observer’s position.” To find out how a research team hopes to develop a medical sensor to assist with the quick and efficient diagnosis of diseases, thanks to this ancient nanotechnology, click on the above link to Smithsonian.