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The Digital Frontier

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The Digital Frontier

Advancements in 20th century medicine reshaped society and made good health an expectation, not an exception. Now, 21st century breakthroughs may end disease, reverse aging, and restore sight and hearing — perhaps sooner than we think.
Featured
Two people trek across a dry, open desert landscape marked by sparse vegetation under a partly cloudy sky, illustrating the challenges of water scarcity. In the distance, mountains stand as silent observers to this arid expanse.
AI
The West needs more water. This Nobel winner may have the answer.
Paul Migrom has an Emmy, a Nobel, and a successful company. There’s one more big problem on the to-do list.
A police cap is covered with binary code on a bright yellow background.
Police spend 40% of their time on paperwork. Can AI help?
Axon’s AI innovations promise to free officers from desks, but not without questions of ethics. CEO Rick Smith addresses concerns and community trust:
An e-reader displaying text is propped up against a stack of hardcover books.
Books
How the Internet Archive’s “Free Digital Library” fell to the “fair use” test
More
Two people trek across a dry, open desert landscape marked by sparse vegetation under a partly cloudy sky, illustrating the challenges of water scarcity. In the distance, mountains stand as silent observers to this arid expanse.
AI
The West needs more water. This Nobel winner may have the answer.
Paul Migrom has an Emmy, a Nobel, and a successful company. There’s one more big problem on the to-do list.
A police cap is covered with binary code on a bright yellow background.
Police spend 40% of their time on paperwork. Can AI help?
Axon’s AI innovations promise to free officers from desks, but not without questions of ethics. CEO Rick Smith addresses concerns and community trust:
An e-reader displaying text is propped up against a stack of hardcover books.
Books
How the Internet Archive’s “Free Digital Library” fell to the “fair use” test
Digital illustration of a DNA double helix with red and blue colors on a black background.
AI
Can we automate science? Sam Rodriques is already doing it.
People need to anticipate the revolution that’s coming in how humans and AI will collaborate to create discoveries, argues Sam Rodrigues.
A woman with long hair is facing forward against a blurred green and blue background, wearing a striped shirt and a heart-shaped pendant necklace.
Privacy
Tracy Chou built a startup to “deep clean” your socials
Tracy Chou’s Block Party is helping people enjoy the benefits of social media while staying safe both online and IRL.
A collage featuring a grayscale face at the center with stars and a flag motif is surrounded by maps, a missile, and a circuit board, hinting at themes of geopolitics and technology—a visual narrative of the intricate dynamics in the ongoing chip war.
Computer Science
Why the USSR and China fell behind the US in the Chip Cold War
The US is currently winning the “chip war” with China, but to stay ahead, experts say it needs to start manufacturing microchips stateside.
A small yellow bird with black wings and a black cap is perched on a branch surrounded by green leaves.
Citizen Science
How tech is turning science into a hobby
From astronomy to video games, consumer technology is helping people pursue their interests while also advancing community science.
Rocket engine firing with a blue exhaust flame against a black background.
Series| In The Arena with Evan Baehr
The chimera engine: The heart of hypersonic flight
Imagine traveling from New York to London in 90 minutes — with hypersonic technology, the future of flight brings the world closer than ever.
A person meticulously examines microplastics and other small objects on a petri dish using tweezers, viewed from below against a black background.
Public Health
Are microplastics really destroying our health?
Scientists still don’t know how microplastics impact human health, but they do have ideas for stopping their spread.
Close-up of a silicon wafer with microchips, featuring intricate circuit patterns under pink and blue light, highlighting the role of semiconductors in cutting-edge technology.
Computer Science
Silicon chips are no longer sustainable. Here’s what’s next.
To take our tech to the next level, we need a more energy-efficient semiconductor. Gallium nitride could be it.
Abstract digital artwork with a Chinese flag motif. Contains stars and circuit-like patterns in red, blue, and white, hinting at the intricate web of industrial espionage.
Computer Science
Is this the biggest industrial espionage campaign in history?
The cat-and-mouse game between China and the world’s semiconductor companies is already having enormous consequences.
A large cargo ship is sailing on the ocean, loaded with colorful shipping containers against a backdrop of a clear sky and distant land.
Series| In The Arena with Evan Baehr
Rethinking global supply chains for a post-pandemic world
The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted the global supply chain, disrupting consumer access to basic essentials.
A person wearing gloves holds a microchip with a grid pattern of pins.
AI
AI is now designing chips for AI
AI-designed microchips have more power, lower cost, and are changing the tech landscape.
A microchip with arrows pointing to it. Text below reads, "This Controls Everything" on a yellow background.
Series| The Freethink Interview
The war over microchips is coming, says Chris Miller | The Freethink Interview
“When we think about technology, we think of social media, search engines, apps on our phone; but undergirding all of this are chips.”
A jet engine undergoing a test, emitting a blue flame, with various wires and components attached.
Series| Hard Reset
3x faster air travel at a fraction of the price: this jet engine could change everything
“This is a system that will enable the sub-thousand dollar ticket from San Francisco to Tokyo in 3.5 hours.”
Split image: Left side shows a person operating radar equipment. Right side displays a drone flying over a landscape.
Series| In The Arena with Evan Baehr
How new tech is shaping warfare
Defense technology is rapidly evolving. These innovative satellite systems are transforming national security and challenging the status quo.
Close-up of a colorful microchip with intricate circuit patterns in a grid formation, reflecting light, capturing the essence of the technology supercycle.
AI
Why futurist Amy Webb sees a “technology supercycle” headed our way
Amy Webb’s data suggests we are on the cusp of a new tech revolution that will reshape the world in much the same way the steam engine and internet did in the past.
Stacks of colorful shipping containers at a port create a striking backdrop, while blurred people holding signs in the foreground hint at rising tensions over port automation amidst an ILA strike.
Automation
Port workers are at war with automation. Can they win?
A timeline of events leading to the ILA’s recent strike, what each side wants, and what could happen if they do — or don’t — get it.
An aerial view of an illuminated industrial facility at dusk reveals multiple buildings, storage tanks, and surrounding roads. Nestled among fields with a distant waterway in the background, the scene evokes the intricate network of data centers operating silently beneath the serene landscape.
Sustainability
Charting the race for energy in the Age of AI
As AI’s demand for computing power skyrockets, data centers are under immense pressure to boost efficiency and increase sustainability.
Aerospace
T-Minus: 10 milestones in commercial spaceflight
T-Minus looks back at 10 major milestones in the commercial space industry — including several SpaceX triumphs.
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