Why get a filling when you could print a new smile?

A new material printed onto teeth could help the approximately one in 10 people who suffer from dental sensitivity caused by worn enamel.

by Ethan Bilby Twinges. Painful teeth. About one in 10 people suffer from dental sensitivity caused by worn enamel. But rather than providing short-term solutions like special toothpastes or fillings, new techniques could print whole new layers of enamel onto teeth – or even stimulate the body to grow new ones. Dr Antonios Anastasiou wants to … Read more

Raising ocean literacy levels could protect marine environment

Getting people involved in local community projects can help them engage with how the oceans are changing.

Hundreds of kilometres away from any sea, ocean or sandy beach, students from countries such as the Czech Republic have been discovering their connection with the marine world. While Europe’s landlocked states are understandably not so preoccupied with seas and oceans, camps run by members of Ecsite — the European network of science centres and museums — … Read more

Robots and workers of the world, unite!

Robots in the workforce will give rise to new jobs for humans, including safety engineers, robot specialists and augmented reality experts, according to researchers.

Robots are already changing the way we work – particularly in factories – but worries that they will steal our jobs are only part of the picture, as new technologies are also opening up workplace opportunities for workers and are likely to create new jobs in the future. Last year, the BBC reported that 800 million global … Read more

Maternal death audits in Africa win €1 mn innovation prize

A successful project to improve childbirth safety in Mali and Senegal will now be rolled out to Chad, Niger and Burkina Faso.

An audit committee that reviews deaths during childbirth has reduced the maternal mortality rate in hospitals in Mali and Senegal by 15%, and its founders have been awarded the €1 million EU Horizon Birth Day prize for a solution that saves the lives of mothers and their babies. More than 800 women die every day from preventable … Read more

Cultural cross-fertilisation to rescue soils

As more food than ever is being grown, it is important to find ways to promote and maintain soil quality.

Sharing best practice farming techniques with farmers from different cultures and traditions could help increase the quality of our soils – a vital step in ensuring that we can grow enough food for people in the coming decades. At Wageningen University in the Netherlands, scientists are coding an app that will allow farmers in countries … Read more

Simple blood test could reveal epilepsy risk

It is difficult for doctors to diagnose epilepsy as they usually do not observe the symptoms in a patient, but a blood test could overcome this challenge.

A finger-prick blood test to diagnose epilepsy could be available within five years, according to scientists who are using tell-tale molecules called biomarkers to overcome current diagnostic problems and guide treatment. More than 50 million people are affected by epilepsy worldwide. However, diagnosing the disease remains challenging and treatments are often unsuccessful: only 70% of patients taking … Read more