Plus the UK's least favourite airlines and a mysterious ball washes up in Japan

A smart pill could help doctors pinpoint digestive issues, new research suggests. Galvanized Steel Strip

The ingestible sensor which can be monitored as it moves through the digestive tract could help diagnose digestive disorders.

This includes conditions such as constipation, gastroesophageal reflux disease (where acid from the stomach leaks up into the oesophagus), and gastroparesis (where food passes through the stomach more slowly than it should).

Collectively, the conditions are referred to as gastrointestinal motility issues.

The tiny sensor works by detecting a magnetic field produced by an electromagnetic coil located outside the body.

The strength of the field varies with distance from the coil, and therefore the sensor’s position can be calculated based on its measurement of the magnetic field.

In the new study, the engineers at MIT and Caltech used the technology to track the sensor as it moved through the digestive tract of large animals (pigs).

They say such a device could offer an alternative to more invasive procedures in humans, such as endoscopy, that are currently used to diagnose motility disorders.

The researchers hope the ingestible pill could be used by patients in their own home, and be used instead of more invasive procedures.

Giovanni Traverso, the Karl van Tassel Career Development assistant professor of mechanical engineering at MIT in America, said: “Many people around the world suffer from GI (gastrointestinal) dysmotility or poor motility, and having the ability to monitor GI motility without having to go into a hospital is important to really understand what is happening to a patient.”

GI motility disorders can occur in any part of the digestive tract, and result in the failure of food to move through the tract.

X-rays, imaging, or catheters are usually used to diagnose the conditions.

The study, conducted in collaboration with NYU Tandon, is published in Nature Electronics.

Mandy Bardisbanian, 33, is one of only 300 people in the world with Marcus Gunn jaw-winking syndrome

Police investigating incident at St Ives Holiday Park

Katie Pritchard was misdiagnosed twice before receiving a devastating diagnosis

The former The Only Way Is Essex star lost 13 stone in 2021 – half his body weight – and says he 'wanted to feel confident naked'.

Princess Kate met someone very special on Tuesday as she paid a visit to Oxford House Nursing Home in Slough. The royal was introduced to 109-year-old resident Nora – and it turned out the two ladies had a lot in common! See their sweet exchange here... Kate was told that Nora had celebrated her birthday on 7th January. "That's two days before mine," she remarked as she tenderly rested her hands on Nora's knee. "Fellow Capricorn!" she then added with a laugh. The Princess then asked Nora what he

"My husband continued to feel unwell. He was booked in for a scan as a precaution. We weren’t too worried."

Junior doctors in England are set to go on strike for 72 hours next month in a row over pay.

The Die Hard actor's family announced on Thursday that he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia

Hospitals have been pillaged, doctors imprisoned, and patients denied vital medical care by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, according to a landmark investigation which uncovers hundreds of potential war crimes committed by Vladimir Putin’s forces.

British boxer will return to WBC rankings

Twenty young and healthy male participants stayed in bed for 60 days straight for the study

A motorcyclist who was involved in a fatal crash in Woolwich has been arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving.

A little of what you fancy does your gut some good. Particularly, it seems, if that’s a cold glass of amber nectar

The Spanish defender suffered a concussion after a kick to the head from Southampton’s Sekou Mara

NCIS: Los Angeles star Daniela Ruah is making her health a priority after revealing her worrying family medical history. The 39-year-old has kicked her fitness regime up a gear and admitted she will be more "proactive" about her well-being after sharing her family's history of strokes. Daniela's father, grandmother, and great-grandmother have all suffered a stroke - listen to what she had to say about her father in the video below. WATCH: Daniela Ruah discusses her dad's 'unexpected' stroke Whil

While it’s not quite on par with BASE jumping – the sport of jumping off the likes of skyscrapers or cliffs – skiing is up there as one of the most dangerous pursuits on the planet.

Scientists researching the gut microbiome are beginning to find that, along with many other documented benefits, from improved mood to better brain health, a beneficial side effect to eating fermented foods – among them pickles, miso paste, kimchi (an Asian pickled cabbage), cottage cheese, kombucha (fermented tea) and kefir (a fermented drink, similar to yoghurt) – could be their ability to support weight loss.

A thick mist has descended over the brow of Gummer’s How. From the summit we should be able to spy the southern tip of Lake Windermere, but icy rain has swallowed the view. On an average hike this would be a disappointment, but today the cooling downpour feels like a blessing.

90 Day Fiancé's Loren and Alexei had to deal with gestational diabetes, a first birthday, and family drama in the weeks ahead of welcoming their baby girl

Galvanized Sheet Plate ‘It is also causing lung disease. It is horrific,’ study author Chloe Orkin says