Contributor

B. David Zarley

Senior Staff Writer

Contact

[email protected]

B. David Zarley is a senior staff writer for Freethink, where he covers health and medicine, including infectious disease, psychedelic research, mental health, and the brain. A graduate of SUNY Fredonia, his work has also appeared in The Atlantic, The Verge, Jezebel, Frieze, Sports Illustrated, VICE, Paste Magazine, and numerous other publications. He lives in Chicago and can be reached via Signal by request. Send him story ideas!

Medicine

Computer-designed miniproteins unleash a whole new kind of drugs

Using a computer program, researchers have created miniproteins that they hope can lead to new drugs.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

T cells and viruses, an unlikely duo, team up to kill tumors

A new Mayo Clinic-developed immunotherapy combining CAR-T cells and cancer-killing viruses looks promising in mouse models.

B. David Zarley

Aerospace

Israeli and US Navy lasers successfully shoot down drones, rockets, artillery

Israeli and American armed forces have successfully tested air defense systems using lasers to destroy incoming targets.

B. David Zarley

Food

Smart sensor tells you exactly when fruit will ripen — or spoil

Inside vast warehouses, millions of fruits sit and slowly ripen. To help packers know when fruit has got to go, a biotech startup is turning to small sensors.

B. David Zarley

Neuroscience

Stanford scientists can control specific brain cells at a distance

Using infrared light and a Nobel Prize-winning molecule that detects chili pepper heat, researchers can control brain cells from a distance.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

A “magnetic tentacle robot” could hunt down cancer deep in your lungs

UK researchers have developed a small, flexible, snake-like "magnetic tentacle robot" to navigate deep into the lungs.

B. David Zarley

Virology

A shapeshifting volcano virus’s secret has been discovered

The secret to a shapeshifting volcano virus may help us create new, better drug and vaccine delivery platforms.

B. David Zarley

Here’s what full-color night vision looks like now

Researchers at UC Irvine have created a proof-of-concept AI that can take night vision images and accurately turn them into full color.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

These upcoming cancer vaccines may prevent tumors before they appear

A new generation of preventative cancer vaccines for non-viral cancers are set to enter their first trials.

B. David Zarley

Hacking

An old satellite was hacked to broadcast signals across North America

A recent satellite hacking shows that end-of-life satellites may be vulnerable.

B. David Zarley