Scientists Develop Bizarre Helmet for Brain Scan

A brain-scanning MRI machine at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, November 26, 2014.Credit: Keith Srakocic / AP
A brain-scanning MRI machine at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, November 26, 2014.Credit: Keith Srakocic / AP
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Scientists Develop Bizarre Helmet for Brain Scan

A brain-scanning MRI machine at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, November 26, 2014.Credit: Keith Srakocic / AP
A brain-scanning MRI machine at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, November 26, 2014.Credit: Keith Srakocic / AP

A research team at the University of Boston’s Photonics Center developed an imaging tool that could replace the traditional form of MRI scan and ensure more accurate results and less anxiety.

Usually, patients undergoing such a medical procedure could experience stress and discomfort, however, the new helmet-like tool, which marks a revolution in the field of medical imaging, is characterized with a funny look that alleviates stress. During the study published Feb. 12 in the scientific journal Advanced Material, the researchers reported the metamaterial used in the design, packing in a ton of physics, engineering, and mathematical know-how. The design was overseen by Xin Zhang, professor of mechanical engineering at BU's Photonics Center.

“The metamaterials used in the helmet is a type of engineered structure created from small unit cells that might be unspectacular alone, but when grouped together in a precise way, get new superpowers not found in nature. Metamaterials, for instance, can bend, absorb, or manipulate waves -- such as electromagnetic waves, sound waves, or radio waves. Each unit cell is typically arranged in a repeating pattern in rows and columns; they can be designed in different sizes and shapes, and placed at different orientations, depending on which waves they're designed to influence,” explained Zhang.

The materials used in the helmet include a component that blocks sound without stopping airflow (imagine quieter jet engines and air conditioners) and a magnetic metamaterial that can improve the quality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines used for medical diagnosis. These materials were deployed in a helmet-like device, which fits over a person's head and can be worn during a brain scan, boosts MRI performance, creating crisper images that can be captured at twice the normal speed. According to Zhang, the helmet makes MRIs less costly and more time efficient for doctors, radiologists, and patients -- all while improving image quality, which will help make the technology more widely available, particularly in the developing countries.



70 South African White Rhinos Relocated to Rwanda

 White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
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70 South African White Rhinos Relocated to Rwanda

 White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)

Rwanda said on Tuesday that 70 white rhinos had been successfully relocated to the Great Lakes nation after a two-day journey of some 3,000 kilometers (over 1,800 miles) from South Africa.

It was the largest ever relocation of rhinos, which can weigh up to two tons, Rwandan officials said.

Once abundant across sub-Saharan Africa, rhino numbers have dramatically fallen due to hunting by European colonizers and large-scale poaching.

The animals were transported in two loads of 35 -- first aboard a Boeing 747, then by road -- from South Africa's Munywana Conservancy to Akagera National Park in Rwanda, or about 3,000 kilometers as the crow flies, according to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

A "dedicated veterinary team will closely monitor their health and behavior for several weeks to ensure proper adaptation to their new environment and management of any stress associated with the move", it said in a statement.

The move was part of African Parks' Rhino Rewild Initiative, supported by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and aims to support population growth and secure a new breeding stronghold in Rwanda.

According to the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), rhino poaching in Africa rose by four percent from 2022 to 2023, with at least 586 rhinos poached in 2023.

The southern white rhino, one of two subspecies, is now listed as "near threatened", with roughly 17,000 individuals remaining, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The northern white rhino has all but vanished, with only two females left alive.