A goat milk company is examining customers’ gut health through its poo postbox scheme. The BBC reports Ceredigion based Chuckling Goat has gone from selling its goat milk based Kefir to launching a microbiome test kit with the University of Cambridge. Co-founder Shann Jones said “We basically examine everything that’s going on inside the microbiome.” … Continue reading Goat milk firm’s poo postbox tests microbiome

Children and young people in Wales who rely on technology to communicate now have access to young Welsh accented voices and Welsh language versions, the Welsh Government has announced. Children and young people in Wales have until now only been able to choose between High Tech Communication Aids with English and Scottish accents, and adult … Continue reading Welsh language and regional accented voices created for children who rely on technology to communicate

Research undertaken at Aberystwyth University has demonstrated that magicians are less likely to suffer from the mental health challenges faced by other creative people, like musicians and comedians. From comedians like Robin Williams to poets and painters like Sylvia Plath and Vincent Van Gogh, many famous names have had well publicised mental health problems. While … Continue reading Magicians are less likely to have mental health problems

Smart watches could be used to speed up diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease by as much as seven years, using a new AI tool. People developing Parkinson’s undergo subtle shifts in walking and sleep years before “hallmark” symptoms such as shaking and difficulty balancing appear, but they are not typically picked up until the disease is … Continue reading Smart watches could detect Parkinson’s up to seven years before major symptoms appear

Welsh scientists have built a human skin printer from Lego for less than £500 and which could change the way doctors treat skin diseases. WalesOnline reports Sion Coulman, Chris Thomas and Oliver Castell, lecturers at Cardiff University, were involved in the project, which was funded by the British Skin Foundation. The three men explained that … Continue reading “We built a human skin printer from Lego”

Researchers are using a pioneering “Benjamin Button” reverse ageing technique to come to a better understanding of Parkinson’s disease, which could lead to more effective treatments. The technique takes skin cells that have been donated by people with the condition and turns them back into stem cells by using a combination of “reprogramming factors”. Stem … Continue reading “Benjamin Button” cell reverse ageing technique used in Parkinson’s research

Bangor University and CereProc have been awarded a contract to supply NHS Wales with sixteen custom synthetic voices for children and teenagers. Bangor University says this solution will break down the communication barriers Welsh children face when using high tech communication devices by providing them with a voice which reflects who they are and their … Continue reading Welsh children to get advanced AI synthetic voices

A leading Swansea University scientist has developed a new smart patch that can detect proinflammatory biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s through the use of microneedle technology. Swansea University says this breakthrough in the advancement of transdermal capability would mean smart patches could be used to detect certain biomarkers within skin interstitial … Continue reading Newly developed “smart patch” could be used to detect Alzheimer’s

Major new plans to make Wales a global centre of excellence and the leading location for medical radioisotope production in the UK, which would help address a fast approaching supply crisis for nuclear medicine around the world, have been unveiled by the Welsh Government. In the UK, across Europe, and further afield, the equipment in … Continue reading Wales aims to build a world leading lab to fight cancer

Two new genes that raise a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease have been discovered by researchers. Cardiff University reports an international team, involving its Dementia Research Institute, compared thirty two thousand genetic codes from patients with Alzheimer’s disease and healthy individuals. The researchers uncovered several new genes and specific mutations in those genes that … Continue reading New Alzheimer’s genes discovered in world’s largest study