Zombie vaccine could save soldiers' lives
Words Aisa Valenzuela

In what seems like a scene straight from a horror movie, the United States Defense Department is developing a vaccine that will turn injured soldiers into zombies on the battlefield. That is, the vaccine will be capable of putting wounded soldiers into a state of "suspended animation," minimizing metabolic needs and shutting down brain and heart functions so wounds don't bleed. In effect, this will extend the "golden period" when injured war fighters can be treated and recover from massive blood loss. This is especially important in the heat of combat, when quick evacuation, triage, and treatment often prove impossible.

How it will work: each soldier will carry a syringe into combat zones or remote areas, and medic teams will be equipped with several. A single injection will de-animate injured troops. Once treatment can be carried out, they'll be "re-animated" and hopefully can be healed and brought back to full health.

But first, the team is going to test the elixir on pigs, whose cardiovascular system is similar to humans. Once the team comes up with the right formula of chemical compounds, it'll undergo federally mandated safety testing. After that, the zombie vaccine will be sent to the battlefield for human application.

Although scientists are currently focusing on the military use of the vaccine, researchers believe that it can be applied to many medical situations in the future as well.

The science of giving back voice
Words Candy Villanueva-Lykes

Those who have lost their larynx can now rejoice-aloud-thanks to a new technology that will soon give voice to those who have been robbed of their ability to speak.

There is an ongoing research in South Africa that involves the development of an artificial larynx that produces sound that is not raspy like those produced by existing devices. This technology tracks the contact between the tongue and the palate to determine which word is being mouthed. With the help of a speech synthesizer, the tongue-tracking device then generates the appropriate sounds.

According to Megan Russell of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, the devices that are currently available produce either robotic sounds or a gruff speaking voice. "We felt the tech was there for an artificial synthesized voice solution," she explains.

Using a palatometer-a device that resembles an orthodontic plate and is normally used for speech therapy-the artificial larynx tracks contact between tongue and palate with 118 embedded touch sensors.

To use the artificial larynx, a person puts the palatometer in his mouth and mouths words like he normally should when speaking. The system then translates these movements into words before producing the appropriate sound through a small sound synthesizer that can be tucked in a shirt pocket.