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.
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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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Walmart drone delivery now covers 4 million households
The Walmart drone delivery program is expanding from one state to six, bringing the service to as many as 4 million households.
We have a new way to hunt for potentially hazardous asteroids
To help protect Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids, astronomers developed an algorithm to look for them in existing datasets.
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Heretics
Should we grow babies in artificial wombs?
Giving birth is dangerous. Are artificial wombs a solution?
This AI can finally tell humans why we’re losing
By combining traditional and deep learning approaches, a neurosymbolic AI has beaten bridge champions in a win for “white box” AI.
Genetic mutations can be benign or cancerous – here’s a new way to identify them
Identifying the difference between normal genetic variation and disease-causing mutations is vital for determining a person’s treatment.
Lasers could cut lifespan of nuclear waste from “a million years to 30 minutes,” says Nobel laureate
If no solution is found, we’re already stuck with some 22,000 cubic meters of long-lasting hazardous waste.
Real cheese without the cow
Biotech startup Formo uses genetically modified microorganisms to produce a completely lab-grown milk that can be made into cheese.
HIV drug could improve memory
The common HIV drug maraviroc improved memory linking in aging mice and might be able to help people experiencing memory loss, too.
A world map of private islands (some are a steal!)
Private islands exert a special attraction on the imagination. While they’re often the realm of the rich, some are downright cheap.
Ancient creatures inspire record-breaking new technology
Inspired by the ancient compound eyes of the trilobite, researchers have created a record-breaking camera with a depth of field of just over a mile.
After 350 years, astronomers still can’t explain the solar system’s strangest moon
Saturn’s Iapetus, discovered way back in 1671, has three bizarre features that science still can’t fully explain.
World’s fastest passenger jet hits near-supersonic speeds
Aircraft manufacturer Bombardier has unveiled the Global 8000, the fastest private jet in the world with a max operating speed of 721 mph.
The source of a strange anti-cancer compound is found in Florida
Researchers have discovered that common soft corals are the source of a sought-after anti-cancer compound.
Turning Appalachia’s contaminated creek water into art
Acid mine drainage turns thousands of creeks orange in Appalachia. True Pigments is pulling that pollution to create paint pigments.
We finally know why sunscreen kills coral reefs
Stanford researchers have discovered the mechanism by which a sunscreen compound can harm coral and other marine life.
New tech could help prevent 2/3 of hospital-acquired infections
A new treatment could prevent hospital-acquired infections by making it hard for biofilms to form on implanted medical devices.
Why haven’t plastic-eating bacteria fixed the plastic problem yet?
Texas scientists have created an enzyme that could keep billions of pounds of plastic out of landfills.
What foods will 9.3 billion people be eating in 2050?
Algae, fried insects, and exotic lab-grown meat could all be on the menu.
A new device can make drinking water from seawater at the push of a button
A new portable unit from MIT researchers could make it much easier to remove salt from water to create drinking water.
A massive kite is now generating carbon-free electricity
Airborne wind energy systems put turbines in the sky, where the wind tends to blow faster and more consistently.
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