And you thought your iPhone was only good for playing Angry Birds. In Tanzania, scientists recently used a mobile phone equipped with a makeshift microscope to diagnose intestinal parasites. It’s still a work in progress – in one test, accuracy didn’t quite reach 70%, shy of the 80% desired for a diagnostic tool – but the idea has potential. The method is significantly cheaper than using a conventional microscope, not to mention more portable.
Want to know how you can help cure the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that infect more than a billion people worldwide? This compelling video from End7 features Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films) and shows just how easy it is.
