Some Big Ideas; Scientists and researchers are always looking for new ways to fight disease, to make complex tasks easier, to make life better. A sampling of inventions in progress: U.S. Edition Edition

The technique, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, uses a $30,000 contraption to fire a powerful magnetic pulse into the cranium, creating an electric charge that activates brain cells. That's enough for some eye-catching parlor tricks: a zap above the temples makes muscles twitch involuntarily; one over the back of the head makes you see sparks. But the real magic begins when TMS pulses are fired in rapid succession.