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
How Boom is resurrecting supersonic flight
If Boom gets its way, the future of supersonic passenger travel will be quieter, cleaner, and more affordable than its past.
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.
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A robot pilot is ready to fly a real plane — are you onboard?
PIBOT, a humanoid robot pilot developed in South Korea, is ready to take control of a real plane for the first time.
A Pink Floyd song was reconstructed from listeners’ brain waves
Training an AI to reconstruct a song from listeners’ brain activity revealed insights about the brain that could lead to better speech BCIs.
5 revolutionary cosmic ideas that turned out to be wrong
These ideas could have revolutionized our concept of the Universe, but since evidence paves the road to reality, we’ve had to abandon them.
Breakthrough creates stem cells without any “memories”
A new method for creating induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells includes a memory reset that puts the cells in a more embryonic-like state.
“Light sculpting” chip can rapidly test for thousands of diseases
Stanford researchers have developed a new type of molecular test that works without a cumbersome amplification step.
Scientists discover a gel that whitens teeth and kills 94% of bacteria
Scientists have found that light-activated oxidizing nanoparticles can whiten teeth without causing damage.
A pig kidney is still working in a person after 32 days
A gene-edited pig kidney has been functioning in a person for a record-breaking 32 days and still shows no signs of failure.
Can you manipulate your brain to stop your food cravings?
Research suggests it may be possible to “switch off” the pleasure we experience from eating certain foods, which could curb cravings.
Brain scans reveal the mystery of “hidden consciousness”
Newly identified patterns of injury linked to “hidden consciousness” could lead to better outcomes for people in comas or vegetative states.
Hackers get AI to share credit card info and endorse hate speech
At DEFCON 2023, ethical hackers targeted generative AIs by OpenAI, Google, and other tech leaders to aid responsible AI development.
New physics? Ultra-precise measurement in particle physics confounds scientists
For electrons, the predictions of the Standard Model agree with measurements. But this isn’t the case for the muon, the electron’s cousin.
Extreme treatment for alcoholism slashes drinking by 90% in monkeys
An in-development treatment for alcoholism dramatically reduced consumption in monkeys that previously drank heavily.
Mental illnesses affect brain structure, but in surprisingly different ways
A new brain mapping study identified commonalities in the brains of people with mental illnesses, and it could lead to better treatments.
Time has some fundamental differences from every other dimension
While spacetime itself is four dimensional, it can be decomposed into three spatial dimensions and one time dimension.
Series|
Hard Reset Podcast
Hard Reset Podcast: Theme Parks | Episode #5
From virtual reality to real life — VR is reimagining how we build theme parks.
Replacing the immune system can boost cancer survival
Mixing stem cell transplantation with immunotherapy significantly improves survival rates for a deadly childhood cancer.
Scientists see metal heal itself for the first time
The first example of metal healing itself, repairing tiny cracks caused by metal fatigue, could lead to an engineering revolution.
“I’ve been here before”: DMT study explores a strange memory phenomenon
DMT can induce a sense of profound familiarity, making users feel as if they have entered an alternate reality they have visited before.
Termite mounds inspire climate-friendly air conditioning
The intricate designs of termite mounds show how to maintain a comfortable climate, without using any power.
Brain stimulation helps people with Parkinson’s walk
A noninvasive form of brain stimulation developed by Japanese researchers improved the symptoms of Parkinsonian gait in a small trial.
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