Sometimes an app comes across the news wires that's too strange or weird or wonderful to pass up. Those apps just beg to be written about. Today, that app comes from a team of Cornell University researchers that have devised a way to check your cholesterol using your smartphone.

How, exactly? Every time you snap a selfie (and we all know you do it!), this app reads your cholesterol levels. That's kind of a mind-blowing concept, right? Well, it's also one that has a whole lot of people in the medical field feel very excited right now. Here's how it all works.

'The smartCARD App

The team of researchers mentioned above have dubbed the new app the smartCARD app (Cholesterol Application for Rapid Diagnostics). The team strongly believes that our phones can provide us with vital medical information that is otherwise time-consuming to discover. Just think about it this way: what's the one device you never leave home without? If you're like most people, the answer here is: my smartphone.

What if your smartphone could actually become, well, smart? What if it could read your temperature, take your blood (we're not there yet), tell if your having a heart attack and dial 911, and check your cholesterol? That's the notion that the Cornell researchers are basing this new app technology on.

How it Works

The smartCARD app comes with a card reader that attaches to the top of the phone. The built-in flash sets off diffused light, which then lights up a test strip that users add to the card reader. The app then reads the strip according to the hue created on the strip when snapping a selfie. In an instant, the app will display your cholesterol levels on your phone.

If it all sounds somewhat confusing, that's because it is. But, it won't be confusing or complex when the app is pushed to the mainstream. In fact, it will simply be an app that everyone wants to have. One that can, and will, save lives. That's a pretty great thing, and it's a direction that more app development teams should really start to move in.

Release Date

Right now, the smartCARD app is still in development stage. The app only reads total cholesterol levels at the moment, but it will reader different levels in the very near future. As soon as that technology has been perfected, the app will be released (hopefully) to the public. If you think of the millions of smartphones currently in use, an app that can help people live healthier lives is really an excellent idea.

Wouldn't it be great if more apps centered around making the world a better and healthier place were created? We certainly spend enough time snapping photos, so why not download an app that can kill two birds with one stone? This app is pretty amazing, if you ask me, and it's something that I can't wait to test out.

What do you think? Would you use this app?