The Digital Frontier

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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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Psychedelics are helping dying patients overcome their existential distress
End of life patients face existential and spiritual challenges other patients do not. Psychedelics may be uniquely suited to helping them.
Computer scientist explains why even in the age of AI, computing isn’t limitless
A computer’s power is still limited by the number of operations it can execute per second and the efficiency of the algorithms it runs.
Apple has a secret project to help people with diabetes
Apple is developing tech that could put noninvasive blood glucose monitoring right into its smartwatches, according to a Bloomberg report.
These 3D-printed batteries could be the future of clean energy
Silicon Valley startup Sakuu has developed a 3D-printing platform that it says can mass produce solid-state batteries, in any shape and size
ChatGPT versus AI-enabled Bing. How do they differ?
Microsoft has integrated an AI language tool into its Bing search engine that it claims is more powerful than ChatGPT.
Amazon TVs can now stream directly to cochlear implants
Amazon is making it possible for people with hearing impairments to stream audio from its smart TVs directly into their cochlear implants.
You can build a house out of this super-grass material
Plantd is turning to fast-growing grasses to decarbonize construction.
New MS treatment targets the gut microbiome
We may be able to prevent chronic inflammation in multiple sclerosis patients by manipulating their gut microbiomes.
Small wonders: The antibodies from camels and sharks that could change medicine
A handful of animals make a pared-down version of our own antibodies. Scientists hope to harness them as treatments for human illnesses.
New “biohybrid” machines weave electronics with living cells
By combining combine genetic and electrical engineering, scientists have developed a new technique for wiring electronics into living matter.
Inhaling this powder shields lungs from infection
An inhalable powder that acts as an “invisible mask” for the lungs could potentially help end the COVID-19 pandemic.
ChatGPT answers physics questions like a confused C student
When asked about physics, ChatGPT gave a mixture of true, false, relevant, irrelevant, and contradictory answers — all with authority.
New light therapy could make cancer treatment better and safer
A new light-activated cancer treatment developed in the UK could make existing therapies better and safer.
Today, people fear Twitter. In the 1850s, they feared telegrams
Telegrams elicited the exact same concerns, including the spread of misinformation, “addiction” among youth, censorship, and impersonation.
In a first, scientists use AI to create brand new enzymes
In a scientific first, researchers have created brand new enzymes designed with the help of AI.
A new look at the strange case of the first gene-edited babies
Did He Jiankui “Make People Better”? A new documentary leans toward a different narrative about gene-editing than we’ve heard before.
New AI improves itself through Darwinian-style evolution
AutoML-Zero is a simple proof-of-concept that shows how t might someday be scaled up and applied to more complex problems.
First: Spinal cord stimulation helps stroke survivors control arms again
Spinal cord stimulation has been shown to improve upper-limb mobility in stroke survivors for the first time.
German scientists 3D print objects with “acoustic holograms”
By using shaped ultrasound, researchers in Germany have developed a way to 3D print objects in one shot.
NASA’s new balloon-borne telescope was designed with AI
An AI-powered technique called “generative design” is helping NASA engineers design better hardware, more quickly.
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