Did you know? There’s no flavour in food without saliva

Our ability to perceive flavour would be significantly reduced in the absence of saliva.

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Saliva Taste Buds — Researchers have discovered that saliva also functions as a translator and mediator, affecting how food travels through the mouth and stimulates our senses. Photo Credit: LarsZ/Shutterstock

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Florence Naa Oyoe Quartey

Front of mind

How a Senegalese engineer is using 3D printers to tackle plastic pollution

Senegal struggles with a severe plastic waste crisis, producing around 250,000 metric tons annually.

In Dakar, a young self-taught engineer is changing the perspective of plastic waste. Francois Mbengue has developed a device that converts discarded plastic bottles into filament for 3D printers to produce o produce rulers, plant pots and hospital equipment.

Nigerian student’s AI glove gives sign language a voice

The NHED Smart Glove uses pressure sensors and a microcontroller to detect finger and hand movements.

At the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi, Muhammad Habib Husaini is quietly working on something with the power to change lives. The computer and communications engineering student has designed the NHED Smart Glove, an artificial intelligence–powered device that turns sign language into spoken words. The project began with a personal motivation. "The inspiration behind the NHED Smart Glove is actually my immediate younger sister. My immediate younger sister is born with the ability of not being able to talk," Husaini explained.