Alien Hand Syndrome

There is a very real, very disturbing, and very rare medical condition called "Alien Hand Syndrome" (AHS). An individual with this neurological disorder has full sensation in the rogue hand, but is unable to control its movements, and does not feel that it is a part of their body. The hand becomes personified, as if it has a will of its own, and its owner will usually deny ownership of the limb.

Though AHS was first identified in 1908, it was not clearly defined until 1972. Depending on the cause of the injury, the movements may be random or purposeful, and may effect the dominant or non-dominant hand. The symptoms are brought on by an injury to the brain, such as head trauma, stroke, tumor, or infection, but it can also be a side effect of a certain kind of brain surgery where the patient has the two lobes of the brain separated to relieve severe epilepsy.

As a side effect of brain surgery, or an injury to the corpus callosum (the area of the brain which connects the two halves of the brain), the movements are usually grasping motions in the non-dominant hand. When caused by head trauma, similar grasping and groping motions will often involuntarily occur in the dominant hand.

When the condition is brought about by a brain tumor, aneurysm, or a stroke, the alien hand may also engage in complex purposeful behavior, such as compulsive manipulation of tools, undoing buttons, or tearing clothes. Sometimes the sufferer is completely unaware of what the hand is doing until it is brought to his or her attention, or until they happen to see it themselves.

There is currently no treatment for Alien Hand Syndrome, but the symptoms can often be relieved by giving the rogue hand an object to manipulate, to keep it occupied.

the next IPhone??

The next Apple iPhone: smaller, faster and more colorful?

Rumour One: A rainbow of colours

So far iPhone has been distinctly monochrome but there are several pictures have been published online of gold and grey iPhone components. These colours seem unlikely given that Apple stopped production of its gold iPod mini in 2005 due to poor sales but Topeka analyst Brian White has also mentioned multiple colour options, and in January said he believed the phone would come in pink, yellow, blue, white and silver, and black and slate.

Rumour Two: Mini me

With cheaper smartphones coming onto the market, Apple may have to break from its focus on high end products. Accessory manufacturer Tactus published a picture of a less expensive model, which is rumoured to include a 3.5 inch screen and 5MP rear camera. Brian White also supported rumours of the cheaper phone but said it would have a four inch screen. Mr White said the iPhone mini might still be as much as $400 (£260) and "will have a curved back casing made of coloured plastic and will be thicker than the iPhone 5."

Rumour Three: Fingerprint sensors