Significant advances in ultra-intense and ultra-short laser technology have led numerous laboratories to develop tabletop PW-class laser systems as a means of investigating laser-matter interactions in a relativistic regime. [16] In an article published in Applied Physics Letters Photonics this week, the researchers show that the light-sound interaction is particularly strong in diamond, and have demonstrated the first bench-top Brillouin laser that uses diamond. [15] Fully contact-free laser ultrasound (LUS) imaging has been demonstrated in humans by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in collaboration with MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Xiang Zhang and colleagues used an infrared laser to generate sound waves at the tissue surface of volunteers' forearms. [14] Optical Mammography, or OM, which uses harmless red or infrared light, has been developed for use in conjunction with X-rays for diagnosis or monitoring in cases demanding repeated imaging where high amounts of ionizing radiation should be avoided. [13] University Professor of Applied Physics Stephen Arnold and his team at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering have made a discovery that could lead to Star Trek-like biosensor devices capable of flagging the barest presence in blood of a specific virus or antibody, or protein marker for a specific cancer; or sniffing out airborne chemical warfare agents while they are still far below toxic levels. [12] Lead researcher Dr Jonathan Breeze, from Imperial's Department of Materials, said: "This breakthrough paves the way for the widespread adoption of masers and opens the door for a wide array of applications that we are keen to explore. We hope the maser will now enjoy as much success as the laser." [11] Japanese researchers have optimized the design of laboratory-grown, synthetic diamonds. [10] Nearly 75 years ago, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Erwin Schrödinger wondered if the mysterious world of quantum mechanics played a role in biology. A recent finding by Northwestern University's Prem Kumar adds further evidence that the answer might be yes. [9]