QUICKIES

I would not waste my life on friction, when it could be turned into momentum.

FRANCIS WILLARD, EducatorSUSPENDED ANIMATION? Researchers have discovered that much of the damage caused by oxygen deprivation is a result of residual oxygen in the body, which produces harmful compounds called free radicals. The findings have inspired a counterintuitive strategy to minimize the effect: reduce the amount of oxygen to induce a state resembling suspended animation. A team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle placed mice, which do not hibernate, in a sealed chamber. By gradually increasing the levels of hydrogen sulfide in the chamber, they "pushed aside" much of the oxygen within the animals' cells. The mice entered a coma like state. Revived after six hours, the rodents showed no ill effects. Someday, similar techniques could reduce brain damage in accident victims en route to the hospital and extend the shelf life of organs for tranplantation. NEWSWEEK

SEVER YOUR SPINAL CORD AND YOU LOSE control of your arms and legs. But what if the brain could bypass the spine altogether? Researchers are already working on a "mind chip" that might transmit brain signals directly to the limbs. In a lab at Brown University, Matthew Nagle, paralyzed from the neck down in a stabbing four years ago, had a tiny silicon sensor implanted in his brain's motor region. The chip sent signals from Nagle's neurons to a computer; Nagle was able to direct the on-screen cursor to send e-mail, draw a circle and even play Pong. More significantly, he could open and close a robotic hand.

Donahue envisions similar chips' controlling not just prosthetics but actual paralyzed arms and legs. There's a long way to go. For starters, he must make the technology port able (currently it fills his lab) and find a way to implant the chip without extensive surgery .But for people suffering from spinal-cord injuries, the tiny chip could change lives.