The first human head transplant could take place in just two years, according to a radical proposal by an Italian surgeon.

Sergio Canavero, from the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, wants the surgery to be used to help extend the lives of people who have suffered degeneration of the muscles and nerves or those who have advanced cancer.

The surgeon plans to announce the project at the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons (AANOS) conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in June, the New Scientist reported.

Mr Canavero published a paper on the technique he would use in the Surgical Neurology International journal this month.

Technology that allows a drone to be piloted from the ground using only a person's brainwaves has been demonstrated in Portugal.

The company behind the development, Tekever, said the technology could in the short term be used to enable people with restricted movement to control aircraft.

Longer term the firm said piloting of larger jets, such as cargo planes, could be controlled in this way without the need for a crew on board.

However, one aviation expert told the BBC he thought the industry would be unlikely to adopt such technology due to a perception of being potentially unsafe.

Pancakes on a weekend morning are a great way to relax and fill up, but printing out a facial design can be a bit more of a delicate matter than just pouring batter and flipping flapjacks, according to James Torbett, senior electronic designer at Kinneir Dufort, the company behind the new pancake art which allows you to put a name and a face to your fare before you yum it up from your morning breakfast nook. Torbett used digital imaging by combining use of a digital camera with image processing to create pancake likenesses.

While these are just pancakes, this is still a 3D design and 3D printing process and requires a bit of attention to details, timing, and the technology at hand. The batter has to be mixed just right, speed is a factor, and temperature is of course of vital importance — a key factor in cooking or 3D printing.

The Mars One project has narrowed down its list of applicants to 100 people, who will now go through further training before the final team is selected.

More than 200,000 people applied to Mars One in 2013, hoping to be chosen to colonize Mars. Applicants had to be at least 18 years old, healthy and between 5'2" and 6'3" tall, as well as fulfilling various personality requirements such as exhibiting adaptability, resiliency, and resourcefulness. During the next round of the selection process, the number was whittled down to 660 during a series of interviews and tests, while the next round will give the remaining 100 people a chance to train in teams in an earthbound copy of the future Mars outpost.

The plan is to film the final Mars One training period for a reality TV show, although there's already been a predictable amount of interest in the candidates. Last week the Guardian released a mini-documentary interviewing three of the applicants, pointing out the intrinsic strangeness of applying for a one-way trip to Mars—an incredibly dangerous mission that will, at best, result in extreme social isolation. Only one of the three people interviewed by the Guardian has made it through to the next round: English physicist Ryan MacDonald, who vlogs under the name MartianColonist. He filmed himself reacting to the news that he'd made it into the final 100.

Dedication Ceremony


Crowds gathered inside the NSLS-II facility to hear dedication speeches
Although the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS-II)--what the U.S. Department of Energy hails as the "most advanced synchrotron facility in the world"--was officially dedicated last Friday at Brookhaven National Lab, scientists are already hard at work inside. Academic and corporate researchers alike will use the facility in the coming years to develop next-generation batteries, materials, and medicine. NSLS-II is a machine designed to make insanely insanely bright x-rays, as well as ultraviolet and infrared light, by zooming electrons in a circle at speeds that approach the speed of light and then bending them. The resulting beams are then harnessed by scientists to study anything from proteins to space dust, making the synchrotron a sort of super-microscope. Tour the $912-million facility in the gallery above.

The robotic sock developed at the National University of Singapore to treat Deep Vein Thrombosis (Photo: National University of Singapore)

The onset of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), whereby a clot forms in the veins and obstructs blood flow, is a legitimate concern for people unable to move their legs. The condition can become truly life-threatening if the clot finds its way into the pulmonary artery, which carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs. Looking to mitigate the dangers of this condition, researchers have developed a specialty sock inspired by the tentacle movements of coral that is designed to stimulate blood circulation through the body.