We’ve got some artificial body parts, some bad brains, and some serious toxic sludge in the state of Washington for you in today’s science news headlines.
General Electric is investing in artificial spinal discs that could replace parts of your diseased backbone. The springy metal discs are inserted directly into your spine and use a bearing to create motion. [Spinal Motion]
Apparently brain surgeries aren’t going very well in Rhode Island, where doctors have operated on the wrong side of people’s brains three times this year. [WSJ] After the break, a gene that kills cancer cells and Washington’s nuclear waste.
Cancer-resistant mice have been created who won’t grow tumors even when bathed in radiation. The secret? A gene that stops cancer in its tracks. Could a human version of the gene be next? [Science Daily]
What has happened to the millions of gallons of toxic waste stored underground near Hanaford in Washington State? Apparently nobody thought to check until a bunch of scientists wondered the same thing. Find out what horrors they discovered. [Eurekalert]
Viruses are getting nastier. A new strain of the common cold virus is causing severe pneumonia and has already killed 10 people. Time to start wearing those surgical face masks everywhere you go! [New Scientist]
