Multifunction baby carrier exercise device (new patent)

“The care of a newborn baby is virtually a 24 hour a day job, leaving very little time for new parents to engage in traditional exercise. The lack of exercise runs contrary to traditional and prevailing medical opinions.” Fortunately, inventor Scott Krass of San Diego, California, has invented (and just received a US patent for) […]

Robot Infants Time Their Smiles to Make (Their?) Moms Smile

Robots can smile, and human mothers can react to that. This study tuned up the timing of this dance: “Infants Time Their Smiles to Make Their Moms Smile,” Paul Ruvolo, Daniel Messinger, Javier Movellan, PLoS ONE 10(9), 2015, e0136492. The authors, at Olin College of Engineering, the University of Miami, and the University of California San […]

Earthy, tasty probiotic recipes

Probiotic starter cultures come in many different flavors. Here are two that qualify as Not-off-the-shelf. 1. “Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Infant Faeces as Potential Probiotic Starter Cultures for Fermented Sausages.” This study was honored with the 2014 Ig Nobel Prize for nutrition. 2. Vaginal bacteria as probiotic starter culture for yogurt. Janet Jay, […]

Infant Poo Bacteria for Starter for Probiotic Sausages

This study adds texture to Part 2 of the old saying “If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made”: “Characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from infant faeces as potential probiotic starter cultures for fermented sausages,” Raquel Rubio, Anna Jofré [pictured here], Belén Martín, Teresa Aymerich, Margarita Garriga, Food […]