John Donoghue is interviewed about the brain implant that has helped a paralyzed man learned to use his thoughts to operate a computer, turn on a TV set, open e-mail, play a video game and manipulate a robotic arm. The BrainGate system used by the patient was developed by scientists at Brown University

A brain implant has helped a paralyzed man learned to use his thoughts to operate a computer, turn on a TV set, open e-mail, play a video game and manipulate a robotic arm. The BrainGate system used by the patient was developed by scientists at Brown University. CNN.com is the cable network’s news Web site.

An opinion piece praises the development of BrainGate, the brain implant that has helped a paralyzed man learned to use his thoughts to operate a computer, turn on a TV set, open e-mail, play a video game and manipulate a robotic arm. BrainGate gives “great hope ... for other quadriplegics and people paralysed for various reasons to be able to lead a more substantial life than merely a prolonged semi-vegetative existence.”

Assistant Professor of Political Science Melani Cammett and her two young children fled Beirut and are now in their Boston home. Cammett had been in Lebanon since May, conducting research on Hezbollah as part of a book about postwar Lebanon.

This article profiles Eugene Jarecki, an award-winning dramatic and documentary filmmaker who currently is a visiting fellow at the Watson institute for International Studies. Jarecki’s recent film, Why We Fight, won the 2005 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Should she stay in Beirut or leave through the last remaining exit routes? This article describes the decisions Assistant Professor of Political Science Melani Cammett faced when her West Beirut neighborhood came under bombardment. Cammett had been in Lebanon since May, conducting research on Hezbollah as part of a book about postwar Lebanon.

Five members of the Brown Space Club will travel to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, to conduct experiments in reduced gravity while aboard the C-9, which will fly 30 wave-like maneuvers over the Gulf of Mexico. Their four-part experiment involves testing behaviors of water when samples are partially inside tubes, mixed with oil, and shot in intersecting streams while under the different gravitational forces.

In its news briefs column, The Engineer notes the work of Brown engineers who recently announced that they have created zinc or titanium oxide nanosurfaces that can reduce the presence of Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria in orthopaedic implants. “We've found a method of coating implants that significantly discourages bacteria growth. The hope is that this technique will lead to safer, longer-lasting implants,” said Associate Professor of Engineering Thomas Webster. (The Engineer is the only magazine serving the UK's engineering technology community.)