A few cool pop science articles!

[Eastoff]

Fireflies for LEDs

The scientists identified an unexpected pattern of jagged scales that enhanced the lanterns’ glow, and applied that knowledge to LED design to create an LED overlayer that mimicked the natural structure. The overlayer, which increased LED light extraction by up to 55 percent, could be easily tailored to existing diode designs to help humans light up the night while using less energy.

Magnet helmet for depression

The technology, known as deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or TMS, involves placing a helmet filled with electromagnetic coils very close to the scalp and zapping them with pulses of electricity, which causes neurons to fire in very specific areas of the brain.

 

[Eastoff]

artificial feces for severe diarrhea

The researchers created fake feces, aptly named RePOOPulate, after careful examination of bacterial colonies grown from the stool of healthy volunteers. Once the right ratio of species was determined, 33 different bacteria were grown in a robotic intestine simulator affectionately called Robo-gut to create a ‘super-probiotic’ stool substitute.