Radio waves measure body water

Physics and biology are becoming better acquainted all the time. With quantum dots at the forefront of medical imaging and DNA set to revolutionize nanotechnology, the two disciplines are also proving to be an excellent match. Now physics and biology have met in the rather stark setting of a steel broom cupboard in an electronics lab. Martin Robinson, Darren Stone and Janet Clegg at York University in the UK have used a novel electromagnetic technique to measure changes in the body's water content. Their method is fast, accurate and cheap, and is now attracting interest from hospitals to help monitor diseases that affect patients' water levels (M P Robinson et al. 2003 Phys. Med. Biol. 48 113–125).