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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What hybrid mouse/rat brains are showing us about the mind
Modified mice with hybrid brains that include rat neurons could one day lead to new breakthroughs in neuroscience.
“I’m not interested in reality”: AI artist Refik Anadol on creative coding, hallucinations, and the future of art
By painting with code and bits of data, AI artist Refik Anadol reveals surprisingly deep insights into what it means to create art.
With inspiration from “Tetris,” MIT researchers develop a better radiation detector
A new detector system based on the game “Tetris” could enable inexpensive, accurate radiation detectors for monitoring nuclear sites.
DARPA is testing this autonomous tank with glowing “eyes”
DARPA just tested an autonomous tank that could help keep soldiers safe — and even more self-driving military vehicles are on the horizon.
Milk could overcome one of the biggest hurdles to RNA therapies
RNA therapies typically break down if administered orally, but particles found in cows’ milk could provide perfect protection.
T-Minus: Psyche phones home, NASA sets sail, and more
Freethink counts down the biggest space news, featuring a new kind of space communication, lots of orbital debris, and more.
First-of-its-kind pig kidney transplant is a success
A woman with heart and kidney failure is now the second person in the world to undergo a gene-edited pig kidney transplant.
MIT engineers design flexible “skeletons” for soft, muscle-powered robots
New modular, spring-like devices maximize the work of live muscle fibers so they can be harnessed to power biohybrid bots.
Last century, we extended our lives. This century, we need to shorten our deaths.
We are living longer lives, while also spending more years sick than ever before — but there are ways to close the lifespan-healthspan gap
Desalination could avert one of the top 10 threats facing the world
Desalination — changing seawater into safe drinking water — could avert a crisis. Here’s how to make it less costly and labor-intensive.
Helium discovery is the supply breakthrough science, medicine, and industry needed
A helium reservoir in Minnesota has astonishingly high concentrations of the gas, potentially opening doors for commercial extraction.
New study challenges long-held assumption about cancer
Genetic mutations may not be necessary for cancer to develop, challenging a long-held assumption about the disease.
Six innovative ways to float skyscraper-sized wind turbines
While most offshore wind farms are firmly rooted in the seabed, engineers are developing new ways to float enormous wind turbines.
How sensory gamma rhythm stimulation clears amyloid in Alzheimer’s mice
Study finds stimulating a brain rhythm with light and sound increases peptide release from interneurons, possibly slowing Alzheimer’s progression.
Why AI celebrities are teaching kids math and physics
Onlock Learning uses the attention-grabbing strategies that make brain-rot content virtually irresistible to package educational content.
Meet the humanoids: 8 robots ready to revolutionize work
Everything you need to know about the humanoids that will soon enter the workforce — or are in it already.
This startup is trying to solve lab-grown meat’s biggest problem
A biotech startup has developed a new kind of bioreactor that could help increase cultivated meat production.
How to build the skills needed for the age of AI
Knowledge-based workers already need to skill-up to coexist with sophisticated artificial intelligence technologies.
T-Minus: $11B Mars rocks, Voyager 1’s resurrection, and more
Freethink counts down the biggest space news, featuring NASA’s Mars rock request, the Dragonfly mission, and more.
Series|
Hard Reset Podcast
Hard Reset Podcast: Robot Recycling | Episode #13
How much of our recycling actually gets recycled? Robots could help boost the percentage of recycled trash with near-perfect accuracy.
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