Medical device creates temporary 'second skin' to treat wounds (2 minute read)
Nanomedic Technologies, an Israeli startup, has created a portable device that can create a temporary and transparent skin layer that can be applied to patients without touching the wound. The device uses a patented electrospinning technology which creates nanofibers by applying a strong electric field to polymer solutions which then knit together in layers to form a nanofibrous mat that mimics skin. The polymer solution can be combined with antibacterial creams, antibiotics, collagen, silicon, hydrogel, or cannabinoids, depending on the patient’s needs. Treatment is fast, and patients can take showers after only 2 days without the need to redress the wound. The device is set to launch in the second half of 2019.
Would you want to stay in a space hotel? (4 minute read)
Space tourism may become a reality soon, with the construction of the Aurora Station beginning later this year. The Aurora Station aims to be the world’s first space hotel, allowing up to four guests to travel in space for the price of $9.5 million per person. While the idea of staying at a space hotel sounds exciting, there are many things to consider. Guests will sleep in sleeping bags attached to the craft, eat freeze-dried food, and deal with the problems that come with low-gravity, all while living inside a structure that is 43.5ft long by 14.1ft in diameter. Cosmic radiation may also cause genetic damage. In order to qualify for the trip, guests will have to undergo physical testing, and as this is an industry where delays happen more often than not, it is possible that some of the guests on the current waiting list may be too old or develop medical conditions by the time the Aurora Station becomes a reality.