In 1966, Star Trek brought us, among many other things, the tricorder, a medical device used by Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy to diagnose patients in a perfect, non-intrusive fashion.  Bones would pass the device (which made appropriate noises) over the patient's body and come up with "what ails you" (he was a Southerner - big time).

So, as Alan Boyle says in his newest Cosmic Log post, "life imitates Trek".  There is a contest on (with a $10 million prize) to see who can develop a real tricorder.  It looks like Qualcomm is leading the way.  It looks like this might be possible (in a limited fashion, as opposed to the vast abilities of Bones' device) in the near future.

In other news, it appears that scientists have discovered the enabler gene that triggers obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes.  Having this information will lead to reducing the amount of obesity in the world.  I agree that there are other ways to go about solving this problem, but the world, apparently, isn't interested.  I know I really enjoy fried shrimp, pork ribs, real butter, and onion rings (not necessarily all in one meal, but....)

My point is, as time and technology move forward, we get closer and closer to discovering what ails us, what causes those problems, and how we can fix them, often without medication.  While some people see that as heresy and hubris (going where only God should go), I see these innovations as ways to reduce human suffering where we can.

While there are individual and societal drawbacks to technology development, there are many huge benefits, too.

Wow!