These prosthetics break the mildew with third thumbs, spikes, and superhero skins

Historically, prosthetics designers have seemed to the human physique for inspiration. Prosthetics have been seen as replacements for lacking physique components; hyper-realistic bionic legs and arms have been the holy grail. 

However we’re now witnessing a motion in various prosthetics, a type of assistive tech that bucks conference by making no try to mix in. As a substitute of constructing units that mimic the looks of a “regular” arm or leg, a brand new wave of designers are creating fantastical prosthetics which may wriggle like a tentacle, gentle up, and even shoot glitter. Learn the complete story.

—Joanna Thompson

Joanna’s story is from the newest print difficulty of MIT Know-how Assessment, which is all about design. Enroll for a subscription to learn the complete factor when it comes out later this month.

We don’t must panic a few fowl flu pandemic—but

How frightened ought to we be about fowl flu? Some have warned that avian flu would be the subsequent lethal pandemic. Others have mentioned the chance is not any totally different from what it was just a few years in the past.

There’s no denying that outbreaks of the virus have had a big impact on birds in latest months, and that the present outbreak is considerably worse than what we’ve seen previously. However though we’ve seen a small variety of instances in individuals, there’s no proof to recommend it poses an even bigger menace to people now than previously. Learn the complete story.