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!

Drugs

Ibogaine: The psychedelic cure?

Ibogaine, an African psychedelic drug which comes from the iboga plant, is used for both religious rites and drug addiction treatment.

B. David Zarley

Sports

The strange science of sports recovery with Christie Aschwanden

From infrared pajamas to cryo chambers, athletes swear recovery methods give them an edge on the playing field. But what does science have to say about it?

B. David Zarley

Drugs

Psychedelic mushrooms explained

Psychedelic mushrooms, AKA magic mushrooms or psilocybin mushrooms, are currently being researched as a treatment for depression, addiction, and more.

B. David Zarley

Outer Space

Closer to the Sun: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe

NASA is getting closer to the sun than ever before with the Parker Solar Probe, leaving researchers excited and bewildered by the data they saw.

B. David Zarley

Oceans

Removing water from underwater photography

A new algorithm for underwater photography makes marine life appear as clear as it would on land, and it’s helping scientists understand the ocean better.

B. David Zarley

Criminal Justice

NY’s bail reform challenges a biased system

Seeking justice in a broken system, the state of New York eliminates cash bail for most misdemeanors.

B. David Zarley

Drugs

Ketamine explained: Understanding the special k drug

Ketamine, known recreationally as the “Special K” drug, is a trance-inducing anesthetic that researchers believe has more powerful uses off the dance floor.

B. David Zarley

9 ways the 2010s decade changed the world

From Tinder to CRISPR, these are the top moments, movements, and ideas through which the 2010s decade shaped the world as we know it.

B. David Zarley

Extraterrestrials

Is anybody out there?

New breakthroughs in the technology used for exoplanet discovery mean we could find proof for the existence of extraterrestrials in our lifetime.

B. David Zarley

Using computation psychiatry to study the brain

Neuroscience

Diving deep into the brain to measure neurotransmitters

Researchers are taking the first measurements of neurotransmitters in active human brains, using computational psychiatry to understand how the mind works.

B. David Zarley