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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Scientists have invented a method to break down “forever chemicals” in our drinking water
Researchers have discovered a way to eliminate “forever chemicals,” or PFAS, which usually take hundreds or thousands of years to break down.
Shining a light on oil fields to make them more sustainable
Sensors and analytics give oil well operators real-time alerts when things go wrong, so they can respond before they become disasters.
Brain implant for “artificial vision” is still working after 2 years
A new type of brain implant technology has given a man with total blindness a kind of “artificial vision.”
OpenAI’s GPT-4 outperforms doctors in another new study
OpenAI’s most powerful AI model, GPT-4, outperformed junior doctors in deciding how to treat patients with eye problems.
New York City greenlights congestion pricing
Here’s how New York City’s congestion pricing is expected to improve traffic, air quality, and public transit.
Watch the first AI vs. human dogfight using military jets
An AI fighter pilot faced off against a human pilot in a “dogfight” using actual planes — a huge milestone in military automation.
US will accelerate geothermal exploration on federal land
The Bureau of Land Management is taking steps to make it easier for public lands to be considered for geothermal power systems.
AI can help predict whether a patient will respond to specific tuberculosis treatments
Instead of a one-size-fits-all treatment approach, AI could help personalize treatments for each patient to provide the best outcomes.
New AI music generator makes songs from text prompts
AI music generators — AIs that create new music based on users’ text prompts — are lowering the bar for music creation, for better or worse.
Toward truly compostable plastic
Materials scientists are cooking up environmentally friendly plastics from natural sources like silk, plant fibers and whole algae.
World’s biggest battery maker unveils grid-scale storage system
CATL, the world’s biggest battery manufacturer, just unveiled TENER, a new energy storage system for utility companies.
Meta’s AI assistant just got a major upgrade — here’s how you can use it
Meta has upgraded its AI assistant, Meta AI, with a new LLM (Llama 3) and made it available in far more places.
Future nuclear power reactors could rely on molten salts — but what about corrosion?
Proton irradiation decreases the rate of corrosion in certain metal alloys — potentially good news for promising nuclear power reactors .
T-Minus: SpaceX’s military launch, a rocket family’s final flight, and more
Freethink counts down the biggest space news, featuring a new kind of military satellite, the solar eclipse, and more.
Why aren’t there solar-powered cars?
There are a number of reasons why solar-powered cars aren’t an option for everyday travel, at least not yet.
Boston Dynamics retires dancing Atlas robot — and debuts its electric replacement
A day after retiring its hydraulic Atlas robot, Boston Dynamics released a video debuting its all-electric, workplace-ready replacement.
Why a neurodivergent team will be a golden asset in the AI workplace
Since AI is chained to linear reasoning, workplaces that embrace it will do well to have neurodivergent colleagues who reason more creatively.
How turning off one gene causes mice to grow 6 legs
A study of embryo development in mice led to the creation of a mutant mouse fetus with an extra pair of legs in place of genitals.
In a future with brain-computer interfaces like Elon Musk’s Neuralink, we may need to rethink freedom of thought
In a future with more “mind reading,” thanks to computer-brain interfaces, we may need to rethink freedom of thought.
3D-printed “metamaterial” is stronger than anything in nature
Australian scientists used an advanced 3D printing technique to create a super strong, super lightweight new “metamaterial.”
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