Researchers have found a new use for a 3,000-year-old African musical instrument: detecting toxic substances and counterfeit medications. The sensor, based on the mbira (pronounced ’em-bir’-uh’) is inexpensive and easy to operate, allowing its use in developing regions, the researchers say.

Although some people embrace the saying ‘bald is beautiful,’ for others, alopecia, or excessive hair loss, can cause stress and anxiety. Some studies have shown that stimulating the skin with lasers can help regrow hair, but the equipment is often large, consumes lots of energy and is difficult to use in daily life. Now, researchers have developed a flexible, wearable photostimulator that speeds up hair growth in mice.

It’s September, which means Apple will announce its latest collection of consumer gadgets for the holiday season and beyond. This year, we’re expecting up to three new iPhone models that build off the company’s 10th anniversary edition iPhone X and accessories that come with it. As always, we’ll also expect to learn release dates for new software that was teased back in the spring at WWDC regarding iOS 12, macOS Mojave, and perhaps a “one more thing” that we’re actually surprised by.

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Instagram says people are using the platform’s hashtags to find addiction support and communities as well as illegal drugs. So, in response, the company is rolling out a pop-up today that’ll provide users with drug addiction resources if they search certain hashtags, like “opioid.” The pop-up reads:

“If you or someone you know is struggling with opioid or substance misuse, find ways to get free and confidential treatment referrals, as well as information about substance abuse, prevention, and recovery.”

The user can then opt to get support resources that Instagram developed with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, and the Partnership for Drug Free Kids….

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Evolution by natural selection is immensely powerful — both in nature and within laboratories. Researchers have identified ‘Structural Capacitance Elements’ within proteins, which retain the potential to evolve into micro-structures following the introduction of a mutation. These mutated proteins are associated with many different types of human diseases, such as cancer. Understanding if and how a mutation may change the protein shape will be pivotal in targeting that protein for use in therapeutics.

Scientists have discovered a new class of materials: higher-order topological insulators. Theoretical physicists first predicted the existence of these insulators with conducting properties on the edges of crystals rather than on their surface and their characteristic ability to conduct electricity without dissipation. Now, these novel properties are demonstrated experimentally in bismuth.