Summary: Based on the profoundly moving true story that captured the world’s attention, “The Sea Inside” is about Spaniard Ramón Sampedro (Bardem), who fought a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity. “The Sea Inside” is the story of Ramón’s relationships with two women: Julia (Rueda) a lawyer who supports his cause, and Rosa (Dueñas), a local woman who wants to convince him that life is worth living. Continue Reading »

Based on the chastened life and hastened death of Spanish euthanasia activist Ramón Sampedro, the painterly biopic The Sea Inside finds art-house hunk Javier Bardem gazing Oscar-ward. Aged to a balding 55, the 35-year-old Bardem makes a convincing quadriplegic, rolling his eyes and pursing his lips with the sort of exaggeration that a once virile sensualist might employ if that’s all he had to work with. Continue Reading »

BY MATTHEW HANSEN/Lincoln Journal Star

William Rush once wrote about the overwhelming desire to get out on the dance floor and shake it for all he was worth.

He was always writing. Continue Reading »

WASHINGTON — A member of the President’s Council on Bioethics and two Columbia University scientists are promoting new research methods that could, they say, resolve the contentious stem cell debate.

Aspects of the proposals have received support from critics of stem cell research, including a Catholic archbishop. But many religious opponents of stem cell research still remain skeptical, saying these new approaches could raise more questions than they answer. Continue Reading »

The odds were against W&M cornerback Stephen Cason ever walking again, much less sparking a Division I-AA quarterfinal rally.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Want to see the scar?

Stephen Cason is happy to oblige. He pulls down the collar of his shirt to reveal a 3-inch, vertical incision on the back of his neck. Continue Reading »

By Tal Abbady – South Florida Sun-Sentinel

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – He once was a swimmer and scuba diver whose idea of a quick afternoon break was a dive in the surf. Now he sits in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the shoulders down, his hands curled in his lap.

This is the body Kevin J. Mullin was left with after an Oct. 6, 2003, swimming accident. Continue Reading »

By: News-Medical in Medical Research News

A London scientist has received a major grant to help improve the quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injuries.

A research team led by Pamela Houghton, Associate Professor in the School of Physical Therapy at The University of Western Ontario and Associate Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute, Continue Reading »

An implantable, brain-computer interface the size of an aspirin has been clinically tested on humans by American company Cyberkinetics. The ‘BrainGate’ device can provide paralysed or Motor-impaired patients a mode of communication through the translation of thought into direct computer control. The technology driving this breakthrough in the Brain-Machine-Interface field has a myriad of potential applications, including the development of human augmentation for military and commercial purposes. Continue Reading »

By Lee Bowman, Scripps Howard News Service

Researchers have successfully tested injections of a liquid polymer to heal spinal injuries in dogs in an experiment that also offers hope for preventing human paralysis. Continue Reading »

Researchers have successfully tested injections of a liquid polymer to heal spinal injuries in dogs in an experiment that also offers hope for preventing human paralysis.

The liquid, called polyethylene glycol (PEG), if administered within 72 hours of serious spinal injury, was able to prevent three out of four dogs in a test group from suffering permanent spinal damage. Continue Reading »