In Brief: Feb. 27

“In the future, hand and foot reconstruction will see many new approaches to replace lost limbs and recover function. Both biological and technical advances can provide treatments that were unthinkable only a few years ago.” — Professor Oskar Aszmann, Director of the Christian Dopple Laboratory for Restoration of Extremity Function at the Medical University of Vienna, on the successful procedure providing amputees with mind-controlled “bionic reconstruction”

“As demanding as our perception of an ideal body type may be, we should remember that yesterday’s ideal will, without fail, evolve into something completely different tomorrow.” — Eugene Lee Yang, video producer at Buzzfeed in and interview with The Huffington Post on the video “Women’s Ideal Body Types Throughout History”

“The real stumbling block is the ethics ... Should this surgery be done at all? There are obviously going to be many people who disagree with it.” — Sergio Canavero, a surgeon on the possibility of full-body transplant procedures being possible in two years

“Our results are highly relevant and significant and will help both scientists and consumers sort through the often conflicting information currently available on the nutrient density of organic and conventional plant-based foods.” — Charles Benbrook, professor at Washington State’s University Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources on a study by Newcastle University finding organic foods are healthier than nonorganic foods

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