Page 8 - IAV Digital Magazine #532

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
By Ben Hooper
Oct. 15 (UPI) -- A German inven- tor's unique ultra- sound "testicle bath" birth control device for men took the top prize at the country's James Dyson Awards.
Rebecca Weiss, an industrial design graduate from the University of Munich and inventor of the COSO male birth control device, was named Germany's win- ner of the James Dyson
Award, which "celebrates, encourages and inspires the designers of new problem-solving ideas."
The COSO uses an ultrasound "testicle bath" to temporary stop sperm mobility. The device only needs to be used every few months to keep the sperm inert and prevent eggs from being fertil-
ized during sex.
Weiss said the inspiration for the device came after she was diagnosed with precursor cervical cancer, which has been tied to oral contraceptive pills.
"When my part- ner and I were looking for an alternative method, we became aware of the lack of male contraceptives," Weiss told Dyson Award officials.
"This problem is not unique to me personally. It affects many oth- ers as well as is made evident in the current grow- ing public discus-
sion about the lack of contra- ceptive alterna- tives."
Weiss said the lack of male birth control options led her to devel- op "a new contra- ceptive approach for men in my master's thesis."
The inventor said she is hoping the Dyson Award will help her obtain funding to put the COSO through clinical trials.
As Germany's winner of the Dyson Award, Weiss is now shortlisted for the international award, which car- ries a $45,000 prize.
Oklahoma Woman Grows 13’6” Okra Plant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qcI5Dl07N8
By Ben Hooper
Oct. 15 (UPI) -- An Oklahoma gardener is seek- ing Guinness World Records recognition for an unusual resident of her gar- den: an okra plant that measures more than 13 feet high.
Linda Compton, of Claremore, said she planted the okra using normal seeds from Walmart and hasn't used any special fertilizer or chemicals on the plant.
Compton told KJRH-TV her
plants "love the Claremore dirt, lots of water, and one other thing -- they like my music."
The gardener said she found out the Guinness World Record for tallest okra plant stands at 10 feet, 5 inches, and her
plant already has surpassed 13 feet, 6 inches -- and it's still growing.
Compton said she has reached out to the record- keeping organization about getting her okra plant recog- nized.
'Testicle Bath' Birth Control Device Earns Germany's Dyson Prize