Fede Montagud, editor

“Smart” fabrics

14 May

Acidity, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, creatinine: all these and many other body parameters can be measured in the sweat of our skin. Along with many more in the near future. Interestingly, the measurements will be made directly from the skin by our own clothes.

A group of researchers from the Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona (Spain) is developing “smart” fabrics impregnated with carbon nanotubes and chemical sensors that are capable of detecting different substances present in sweat. A simple cotton t-shirt can diagnose diseases, capture moods and analyse, at a low cost and on an ongoing basis, the vital parameters of the wearer. These conducting fabrics could be especially useful for athletes and people with chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Sources:

Clothes that diagnoses

CEICS: Smart fabrics

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Elisabet Salmerón, science journalist

Ageing caused by smoking

12 May

Is smoking pleasureable? It may well be. But smoking is also addictive and detrimental to the body. The more than 4,000 chemical compounds in cigarettes, many of which are toxic, have multiple adverse effects on the skin, which becomes fragile, poorly nourished, mottled and scored with narrow, deep wrinkles. And there is no corrective cosmetic treatment for this damage.

“For more pure pleasure, have a Camel.” In the early 20th century, the tobacco industry made its mark on society through advertising campaigns that associated smoking with health benefits and values such as life and liberty. However, a study published in 1938 in the prestigious journal Science pointed for the first time to the high tendency for smokers to become ill. Read more

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Fede Montagud, editor

The Human Skin (by dizzo95)

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Josep Orellana, science journalist

How does our skin “breathe”?

27 Apr

Healthy skin performs vital functions for the body. As one example, we could say that the skin “breathes”, so blocking the pores could have serious consequences. Who does not remember the James Bond movie Goldfinger and the dead girl in bed with her entire body painted in gold? Was that the reason she died? Let's find out.

The film world has always been a source of inspiration for science. One scene from the James Bond film Goldfinger posed a question that came to be an urban legend. The Bond girl (Shirley Eaton) is killed using a curious method: her body is totally impregnated with gold paint. In fact, during the filming of that scene, several doctors were on hand to advise the film crew and so prevent possible complications. But why did the Bond girl die? Did she die, as rumour had it, from “skin suffocation”? Read more

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