Nano-coating To Make Implants MRI Safe

Makarand writes "Patients who have implants containing any kind of metal cannot be MRI scanned as the powerful electromagnetic radio waves can induce currents large enough to heat the metal in implants to over 70 C and damage surrounding tissue. Now, Biophan, a biomedical devices company, has developed a nano-coating material that can protect implants by preventing most of the radio waves from reaching the internal components of the implant by reflecting them. It's high electrical resistance also prevents currents from flowing around the implant's surface and heating any nearby body tissue. Biophan's coating is a mixture of poorly conducting nanoparticles held in an insulating matrix. The coating is a mere three micrometres thick and can cut the energy induced in an implant by 89 per cent."

Comments

Re:so how come...

[Bonker]

While the above is funny, it's important to remember that movie and comic book physics are nothing like real-world physics.

Like many fantasy characters, Wolverine casually violates the laws of physics and biology. Compare Logan to the cyclopses and giants of mythology, which were almost certainly based on deformed or diseased humans. Most descriptions of giants have them towering above humans. Since volume (and therefore mass of similar density material) increases with the cube of radius, most fantasy giants would not really be able to support their own weight. Their bones would shatter and their muscles would tear under the stress of standing up. Their hearts would also likely burst from the strain of pumping blood to their heads. Zoology and Palentology support this. Whales, truly massive creatures, are crushed to death under their own weight when beached. Elephants, land mammals with extraordinary size and mass, have incredibly thick bone structures and move ponderously. Dinousaur skeletons that appear to be fossils of huge creatures also appear to be adapted to live in shallow coastal areas or swamps.

Not only would Wolverine's metal-coated skeleton (which is coated with a fantasy metal, BTW) cook him in many cirumstances-- Don't get too close to that microwave, Logan!-- but it would take an incredible amount of energy to survive being internally immolated with molten metal, as it he is described as having done.

Guidelines for wound care reccomend that patients take in 150% calories during recuperation from severe wounds. If most of Wolverine's cells were burned, he would have to use more than his body-mass in terms of fat and protein in order to heal.

Even assuming he could take in that many calories during the procedure, a coated skeleton would also keep many of his body systems from working properly, including his immune system and circulatory system. Red blood cells are created inside long-bones and ribs, remember? If Wolverine's are sealed inside adamantium, then how can he generate new blood cells? Do his tendons and ligaments attach to bone through the adamantium? Do they directly attach to the non-organic metal? What about Wolverine's spine? Does the Adam Ant cover his spinal disks? If so, are there holes for his spinal nerves to exit his spine? If not, why aren't Wolvie's neck and back his weak spots, easily broken or cut under the kind of stress he survives?

Wolverine is a fantasy creature and cannot be held to the same scientific principles as you and I.