IUPAC names 4 new elements

JANUARY 2016-International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)

officially gave names for the elements 113, 115, 117, and 118, completing the 7 th row of
the periodic table.
Researchers from US, Russia, and Japan have been given the rights to naming
the elements as a credit for their discovery.
Element 113 was named nihonium (Nh), derived from Nippon, the Japanese
term for Japan; element 115 was named moscovium (Mc), coined from Russias capital
city, Moscow; element 117 was named tennessine (Ts), named after Tennessee, one of
the states of the US, and; oganesson (Og) for element 118, named after Yuri
Oganessian, a Russian physicist.
The names were personally proposed by the researchers and was accepted by
IUPAC, but the names are still undergoing a five-month public review, which will be
accomplished on November 8, 2016.

VR: Cure for paralysis

Researchers combined the technology of virtual reality (VR) and robotic
exoskeletons to help regain some nerve functions of eight paraplegics (people with
paralyzed legs), making them able to control their key muscles once again.
The researchers only expected that the training would only improve proficiency
with using the exoskeleton, but were pleasantly surprised by their discovery, according
to United Kingdoms national healthcare system, National Health Service UK (NHS-UK).
The researchers were surprised to find out that their simulation of physical
activities through the combined technologies actually improved the nerve functions of
the participants, enabling them to barely walk again.
They hypothesized that the virtual activity could help cure paralysis and rekindle
a persons nerve connections.
The research team is now planning to use this technology on people who have
been paralyzed for a short time to see if the effects are more significant, since the first
eight participants had been paralyzed for years.

KURT ANTHONY C. DELOS SANTOS