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March 13, 2011

Is there nothing an iPhone (or Droid) can't do?

micro-NMR and smartphone.jpg


Neo-luddites are fond of dismissing the latest technological gadgets and innovations as little more than time-wasters and toys, but many of us are finding them indispensable, especially our smartphones. As it turns out, they're not just convenient -- they may even save the life of someone you know.

Medical experts agree that early detection is often the key component to surviving cancer, and researchers have now come up with a way to use a smartphone -- in conjunction with some remarkable hardware -- to spot cancer.

How remarkable? How about a $200 micro-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) device that can diagnose cancer in less than an hour?

In 1961, Arthur C. Clarke said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

We've practically reached the point where magic has become mundane. This may not be magic, but it's still amazing.

Posted by Mike Lief at March 13, 2011 11:23 AM