With the Aid of Science! News Roundup

Bionic eyes, curing malaria and sweet, lovely chocolate. There's a lot of cool and groundbreaking science and medical news that came out this week. Medical science was kind of awesome this week.

Cyborg: A 54-year-old blind Australian woman was fitted with a bionic eye that stimulates her nervous system to allow her to see some light. While not actually vision, it does seem to be a good first step toward a better understanding of integrating technology with the nervous system. Baby steps for sure. But going in the right direction and also giving a bit of hope to folks who've lost sight. (via Neuro Gadget)

Malaria: Ever been to Africa? Malaria is a serious concern for those who live there as well as visitors. Researchers in Cape Town, South Africa seem to have developed a pill that basically kills malaria in one dose. That's pretty freaking impressive. It provides doctors with the ability to control an illness that has a long history of detriment to humans. (via National Geographic)

Life Span: restricting the amount of food you consume does not seem to extend your life, but does extend the amount of time you are healthy. Previous research with other species suggested that a slightly lower amount of food over the course of a lifetime actually extended life span. But this didn't hold up with monkeys and possibly other primates (us). Still, the health benefits of watching what you eat is well supported by other nutritional science. So it's not a license to just scarf cheeseburgers all day. (via Slashdot)

Chocolate: This is a good note to end the week. Chocolate might lower the risk of stokes in men. It's a  preliminary finding and there have no real idea as to the level of consumption that would provide a protective benefit. But it's still a cheery finding that could make you feel better about grabbing a dark chocolate bar. (via US News and World Report)

Photo Credit:  pierre.boisselet on Flickr