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
Why happiness is not the best indicator of well-being
Achieving values and pursuing growth is the real secret to a fulfilled life.
T-Minus: 10 space startups to watch
Today’s aerospace industry includes hundreds of startups, all vying to be the next SpaceX. Here are 10 that could actually do it.
Will AI supercharge hacking — if it hasn’t already?
The future of hacking is coming at us fast, and it isn’t clear yet whether AI will help attackers and defenders more.
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Hard Reset
Getting to Mars isn’t enough: Why staying alive will be the biggest challenge
Meet Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, the self-proclaimed space bastards who are urging us to rethink space colonization.
Can we stop AI hallucinations? And do we even want to?
“Making stuff up” and “being creative” may be two sides of the same coin — but you have to be able to tell the difference.
When AI prompts result in copyright violations, who has to pay?
Who is responsible for copyright violations when they’re produced by generative AI? The technology is outpacing the law.
What’s next for COVID-19 drugs?
Paxlovid may have underperformed in a new trial, but other promising COVID-19 drugs are being authorized or in the works.
Google’s Deep Mind AI can help engineers predict “catastrophic failure”
How vulnerable is the electrical grid to a malicious attacker who destroys select substations? Google’s Deep Mind can help predict the answer.
Old drug appears to halt progression of Parkinson’s motor symptoms
A GLP-1 agonist used to treat diabetes appeared to halt the progression of Parkinson’s symptoms in a phase 2 trial.
Persistent “hiccups” in a far-off galaxy draw astronomers to new black hole behavior
Scientists have found a large black hole that “hiccups,” giving off plumes of gas, revealing another black hole.
“Universal” BCI lets anyone play games with their minds
A specially trained “decoder” slashes the time it takes a brain-computer interface (BCI) to read a user’s mind.
Oxytocin’s effects aren’t just about love
At last, neuroscientists are learning how the hormone shapes social behaviors such as pair-bonding and parental care. It’s more complicated than they thought.
How three laser-shooting spacecraft could reveal the birth of the universe
The first space-based mission to detect gravitational waves, LISA, could give us a brand new perspective into the universe’s past.
Your garden’s 2024 “hardiness zone” could change, thanks to warming climates
Hotter summers and warmer winters are changing the types of plants we’ll be able to successfully grow. Here’s how to adapt.
This startup is making natural gas from sunlight, water, and air
Terraform Industries is using sunlight, water, and air to create synthetic natural gas — and keep methane out of the atmosphere.
Scientists are deep-freezing corals to repopulate the ocean
Healthy corals could disappear by the 2030s if climate change is not curbed, so scientists are deep freezing specimens.
T-Minus: Counting down the 10 biggest “firsts” in space exploration
A special edition of Freethink’s weekly countdown of space news, featuring the 10 biggest milestones in humanity’s exploration of space.
One-shot gene therapy reverses vision loss in small trial
A gene therapy for wet AMD — the most common cause of severe vision loss in seniors — is now in phase 3 trials.
Retired coal plants can aid the energy transition — by going nuclear
Nuclear power is a proven way to decarbonize the grid, and a lot of infrastructure for it already exists at retired coal plants.
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Hard Reset
The tech of tomorrow: Haptics, Desktop CNC, Hyundai E-Corner
Would you use a desktop CNC? What about no-snow skis? Could a car with 90º wheels make parking easier? We went to the biggest tech event in the world to try out viral tech for ourselves.
Korea’s “artificial sun” sets nuclear fusion record
An upgrade to KSTAR, an “artificial sun” in Korea, enabled scientists to set a new world record in nuclear fusion.
Nuclear’s role in a net-zero world
Is nuclear power a necessary part of the transition away from fossil fuels? As the debate rages on, new technologies may be shift the balance.
“Stone wool”: lava-based material is more efficient, lasts longer than most insulation materials
Stone wool, a lava-based material, is more efficient and lasts longer than today’s most common insulation materials.
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