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!

Animals

Citizen keepers are raising threatened grasshoppers

The large marsh grasshopper risks extinction. But volunteer citizen keepers are raising the insect for rewilding to newly restored wetlands.

B. David Zarley

Mental Health

Frontline healthcare workers are going to receive psilocybin therapy

University of Washington researchers are enrolling healthcare workers now in a psilocybin-assisted therapy study.

B. David Zarley

Robotics

Sun-powered soft robot could mop up the seas

Inspired by steam engines and water-walking insects, this soft robot may one day mop up oil spills at sea.

B. David Zarley

Blockchain

Can we get blockchains to talk to each other?

Blockchains do more than crypto; logistics, contracts, and more use the tech. But there’s a problem: blockchain communication is still difficult.

B. David Zarley

Healthcare

Google rolls out new tools to help your doctor search

Google has debuted new ways to make your doctor search easier, allowing you to know what insurance they take and languages they speak.

B. David Zarley

Public Health

This app offers alternatives to 911 in all 50 states

There are instances when 911 may not be the best number to call. Subdial, a free app, offers local and national alternatives to 911.

B. David Zarley

Archaeology

Did drought end the ancient Maya kingdoms?

Airborne laser scans have revealed thousands of new Maya structures, as well as evidence that may change how we think their kingdoms fell.

B. David Zarley

Virology

How herpes hides

Herpesvirus hides in nerve cells, making it impossible to kill. Now, Northwestern researchers believe they have found the novel key to this nasty trick.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

First person cured of type 1 diabetes thanks to stem cells

An experimental stem cell treatment has eliminated type 1 diabetes in a patient, giving experts guarded hope for a diabetes cure.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

A simple webcam can automatically catch — and treat — infant jaundice

Researchers in Australia and Iraq have developed a system that uses a webcam to catch infant jaundice and begin treatment right away.

B. David Zarley