TNT - Tackling New Technologies

'Erektor' To The Rescue! Google “alternatives to viagra for ED” and your screen will be flooded by scary and intrusive web results (and advertisements) ranging from spider venom, spanish flies, shockwaves to VED (Vacuum Erectile Devices), penile prosthesis. The effectiveness of each of these solutions is, well, controversial. Question arises, can technology be the answer to a disease that affects 150 million men worldwide? Before we present the modern day tech-solution to ED, first let us understand what is Erectile Dysfunction ? Also known as impotence , ED is the inability to get an erection during sexual intercourse. The disease affects 1 out of 4 men below the age of 40 and 50%-60% of men between the ages of 50-60. While the disease is most common amongst older men, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hormonal changes, smoking, alcoholism etc. can be the triggers behind ED amongst young males. How does technology fit in? Technology has the p...

Rewriting The Code Of Life With Gene Editing The late physicist and scientist, Stephen Hawking, made headlines this week by suggesting the future existence of a “ Super-Human ” race through a series of articles and essays. The scientist based his predictions on a technique called Genome Editing with a special emphasis on CRISPR-Cas9 . What is gene-editing? DNA is the genetic instruction manual that all living organisms come with. A gene is a unit of heredity and is a region of DNA that influences a particular characteristic in an organism. Imagine, writing an essay and using Grammarly to correct the parts of essay that are grammatically incorrect. Gene editing works like Grammarly software and edits the part of DNA that may lead to genetic disorders or harmful mutations. CRISPR-Cas9 CRISPR-Cas9’s inspired by the natural editing system in bacterias. Bacterias store snippets of DNA information from invading viruses. This process allo...