(CNN) It was supposed to be a fun lunch outing in the Big Apple with her mother and grandmother. But when Jennifer Andresen saw an advertisement for this season's "American Horror Story" on the side of a New York taxi, she had to pull her car over, and fast.

What Andresen has is trypophobia, an intense, irrational fear of small holes and clusters of circles and bumps, such as those in a honeycomb, lotus flower or bubble bath. The phobia is a key part of this season's "American Horror Story: Cult," as the main character, Ally Mayfair Richards (played by Sarah Paulson), is overwhelmed in the first episode by some holes in her soufflé and a coral in her therapist's office that she feels is staring at her.

"My husband and I were watching 'American Horror Story,' and I didn't have any idea what the show would be about," Andresen said, her voice rising nervously. "The piece of coral she saw freaked me out so badly that I had to tell my husband. Up to now, I've kept it to myself because it seemed so silly, so odd."

Read the entire article by Sandee LaMotte here.

The University of Houston reported a  breakthrough in stretchable electronics that can serve as an artificial skin, allowing a robotic hand to sense the difference between hot and cold. 

The discovery of a material that is soft, bendable, stretchable and twistable could impact future development of soft wearable electronics, researchers say.

Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Researchers at the University of Houston have developed artificial skin which gives a sense of touch to robotic hands.

The research, published today in Science Advances, is considered a breakthrough in stretchable electronics that can serve as an artificial skin, allowing robotic hands to sense the difference between hot and cold temperatures.

The study is the first to create a semiconductor in a rubber composite format, designed to allow the electronic components to retain functionality after the material is stretched by 50 percent.

"Our strategy has advantages for simple fabrication, scalable manufacturing, high-density integration, large strain tolerance and low cost," Cunjiang Yu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Houston,said in a press release.

The researchers created the electronic skin and used it to demonstrate that a robotic hand could sense the temperature of hot and iced cold water in a cup. The result was the skin was able to interpret the computer signals sent to the hand and reproduce the signals as American Sign Language.

"The robotic skin can translate the gesture to readable letters that a person like me can understand and read," Yu said.

Researchers prepared the stretchable composite semiconductor using a silicon-based polymer called polydimethylsiloxane and tiny nanowires to make a solution, which hardened into a material that used the nanowires to transport electric current.

"We foresee that this strategy of enabling elastomeric semiconductors by percolating semiconductor nanofibrils into a rubber will advance the development of stretchable semiconductors," the researchers wrote in the study, suggesting it will "move forward the advancement of stretchable electronics for a wide range of applications, such as artificial skins, biomedical implants and surgical gloves."

Read the original article by Amy Wallace here.

September is Healthy Aging month – follow these tips to stay at your peak!

1. Get moving

Exercise regularly to maintain a healthy body and brain.

2. Stay social

Take a class, volunteer, play games, see old friends, and make new ones.

3. Bulk up

Eat beans and other high-fiber foods for digestive and heart health.

4. Add some spice

Add herbs and spices to your meals if medications dull your taste buds.

5. Stay balanced

Practice yoga or tai chi to improve agility and prevent falls.

6. Take a hike

Brisk daily walks this September can bolster both your heart and lungs.

7. Sleep well

Talk to a sleep specialist if you don’t sleep soundly through the night.

8. Beat the blues

If you’ve been down for a while, see a doctor. Depression can be treated.

9. Don’t forget

To aid your memory, make lists, follow routines, slow down, and organize.