The Digital Frontier

A data center with rows of servers and neatly organized cables in red and blue on both sides of a central aisle.

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
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.
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:
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AI “tastes” beer — then tells brewers how to make it better
An AI that can predict how to improve the taste of a beer could help brewers develop the next beloved brew.
How much stress is too much? A psychiatrist explains
Some stress is good for you, but toxic stress, on the other hand, wears down your stress response system in ways that have lasting effects.
T-Minus: Bezos’ space station advances, Boeing’s capsule crews up, and more
Freethink counts down the biggest space news, featuring a new space station, NASA’s next astronaut transporter, and more.
Bipedal robot takes a beating, keeps on hiking
LimX Dynamics’s bipedal robot, P1, can keep its footing, even when traversing rough terrain unlike any it’s seen before.
A protein found in human sweat may protect against Lyme disease
Human sweat contains a protein that may protect against Lyme disease, according to a study from MIT and the University of Helsinki.
Pacemaker powered by light eliminates need for batteries and lets the heart to function more naturally
Scientists designed a pacemaker that transforms light into bioelectricity, or heart cell-generated electrical signals.
Would you trust big work-life decisions to an AI coach?
The fast-growing coaching industry is being disrupted by generative AI, which excels at “performance coaching.”
Boom’s supersonic jet flies for the first time
Boom Supersonic just flew its XB-1 supersonic jet for the first time, bringing it a step closer to revitalizing super-fast commercial travel.
Moving trees north to save the forests
Scientists are exploring how to adapt forests for climate change, transitioning them to a warmer future by planting new southern seedlings.
Generative AI tech is dreaming up new antibodies
A new tool for designing antibodies relies on the same kind of tech underpinning DALL-E and other image-generating AIs.
Pill to prevent Lyme disease kills ticks before they can infect you
A pill to prevent Lyme disease quickly killed ticks that bit treated volunteers, suggesting it could slow the spread of tick-borne diseases.
Drugs made in space “cooked real good,” says startup
Varda Space Industries has shared the results of its first mission to manufacture “space drugs” in Earth’s orbit.
Soaring insulin costs? Cows could help.
A genetically engineered cow that produce milk containing with human insulin could help cut the cost of the life-saving diabetes med.
First person to get a gene-edited pig kidney is “recovering well” so far
A gene-edited pig kidney has been successfully transplanted into a person for the first time, giving new hope to people with kidney failure.
AI-powered wearable “speaks” for people with vocal cord problems
Bioengineers at UCLA are developing an AI-powered wearable that could make it easier for people with vocal cord problems to talk.
T-Minus: Starship reaches new heights, volunteers discover “active” asteroids, and more
Freethink counts down the biggest space news, featuring Starship’s third test flight, a new Mars volcano, and more.
Series| Hard Reset
Bryan Johnson lives by one rule: “Don’t die”
“We are losing when we create a lesser version of ourselves.” Bryan Johnson has created a blueprint to reverse-aging, and a vision for the future of humanity.
First person with a Neuralink brain implant reveals how he uses it
Elon Musk’s Neuralink has revealed the identity of the first person to receive its brain implant — and the man says it has changed his life.
Reducing pesticide use while increasing effectiveness
AgZen has developed a system for farming that can monitor exactly how much of the sprayed chemicals adheres to plants, in real time.
Humanoid robots are joining the Mercedes-Benz workforce
German automaker Mercedes-Benz is deploying Apptronik’s Apollo robots at a manufacturing plant in Hungary.
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