The Digital Frontier

A data center with rows of servers and neatly organized cables in red and blue on both sides of a central aisle.

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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This amazing gel may help in the fight against cancer
“Instead of thinking about a treatment, we can, really for the first time, think about a cure.”
Twitter’s founder donated a quarter of a million to a new social media app
Jack Dorsey has donated 14 bitcoins to Nostr, a decentralized protocol on top of which developers can build apps, such as a social network.
5 AI experts predict how ChatGPT and DALL-E will affect the future of work
Will society will use this moment of AI breakthroughs to advance equity or exacerbate disparities? Five experts weigh in.
DARPA is developing an X-plane steered only by blasts of air (Updated)
DARPA is developing an X-plane that uses “active flow control” to maneuver, rather than traditional flight control surfaces.
Yale researchers have found a way to spot new viruses
By screening negative nasal swabs for a specific antiviral protein, a Yale team believes we may be able to find hidden viruses before they emerge.
The biggest AI breakthroughs of the last year
Last year saw breakthroughs from AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepMind, and DALL-E, which generate text and code.
Human-rat brain hybrid shows a way to cure blindness
New research has shown that human “mini brains” can integrate with damaged rat brains to perform functions related to sight.
World’s biggest direct air capture plant is trapping CO2 in Iceland
Direct air capture technology is starting to take off, with ever-larger CO2 removal facilities opening across the globe.
No, 90% of new businesses don’t fail. Here’s why.
To say that something failed, simply because it stopped or changed, is to dangerously limit our view of the world.
Undergrad develops AI to hunt for alien signals
An AI trained to hunt for technosignatures from intelligent alien life found 8 interesting signals on its first deployment.
New “cyborg” cells could be the future of medicine
Semi-living “cyborg” cells might one day do everything from deliver cancer treatments to help clean up the environment.
World’s fastest “shoes” increase walking speed by 250%
Shift Robotics is taking pre-orders on Moonwalkers — $1,400 “shoes” that let you walk 2.5x faster without expending any extra energy.
Could hydrogen-fuelled flights be a reality by 2035?
By 2035, hydrogen fuel cells could be used to electrify mid-range flights and hydrogen combustion aircraft could be used on long-haul flights.
First-of-its-kind nasal vaccine for COVID-19 deployed in India
India has begun deploying a nasal vaccine for COVID-19 that may be able to prevent infections, not just limit their severity.
ChatGPT-like AI creates new bacteria-killing proteins
Using a large language model AI, biotech startup Profluent has created new antimicrobial proteins.
5 things you didn’t know GPS could do
You’d be surprised at all the things that GPS — the global positioning system that underlies all of modern navigation — can do.
Your microbiome is influenced by the people you hang out with
The human microbiome is largely influenced by our social interactions, according to the largest study to date of microbiome transmission.
mRNA could train our blood cells to stop chronic inflammation
A new study has identified the substance used by our white blood cells to reduce inflammation when it is no longer needed.
Why 2023 will be “the year of mixed reality”
Mixed reality, in which immersive virtual content is seamlessly combined with our physical world, is set to transform the world.
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