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 $3,000 completely wireless TV vacuum seals to your wall
Home entertainment startup Displace has unveiled a completely wireless TV that vacuum seals to walls and is controlled by hand gestures.
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Challengers
The dawn of battery-powered urban flight
Electric engine, nearly silent, and ready for passengers by 2025. But are we ready?
Stanford nasal study could lead to “morning after” virus spray
A “morning after” antiviral nasal spray could be created using new knowledge about how SARS-CoV-2 invades your nose.
5 biotech trends to watch in 2023
After a monumental year of breakthroughs, scientists, investors, and CEOs share which areas of biotech they are eagerly watching this year.
Will 2023 be the year of the private social network?
Many tech leaders think the future of social media is private social networks, not the public squares that previously dominated.
SpaceX puts Starlink promises to astronomers in writing
SpaceX has signed an agreement with the National Science Foundation detailing its plans to minimize Starlink’s impact on astronomy.
Scientists use laser beam to divert lightning strikes
Since the time of Benjamin Franklin, we’ve looked for ways to control, or at least deflect, lightning strikes. Enter laser-guided lightning.
Study finds 155 tiny new genes evolving in humans
Microproteins encoded in short strands of DNA reveal our recent evolutionary history, and hint at how human genetics may be changing.
New brain cancer treatment trialed in children for the first time
MRI-guided focused ultrasound has been used to deliver chemo into the brain of a pediatric cancer patient for the first time.
“Jumping genes”: A new model of Alzheimer’s
A new hypothesis suggests that Alzheimer’s disease is the result of “jumping genes” in the brain, not inflammation or plaque.
New AI-powered farming robot covers 50 acres of crops per day
French startup Meropy has developed an agricultural robot that can autonomously inspect crops from above and below.
Resurrecting a 2.6 billion-year-old ancient CRISPR system
Researchers have resurrected an ancient CRISPR system 2.6 billion years old, capable of editing genes in the modern day.
The case for dark matter has strengthened
Though it makes up about 26% of the Universe, we cannot see dark matter. But we know it’s there because we can see its effects.
New killer CRISPR system is unlike any scientists have seen
CRISPR-Cas12a2 — a system that causes cells to self-destruct — could lead to new cancer treatments, better diagnostic tests, and more.
Google sister company aims to eradicate dengue from a tropical country
Verily, owned by Google parent company Alphabet, believes it can eliminate Singapore’s dengue problem.
The first ever honey bee vaccine has arrived
The USDA has conditionally approved a honey bee vaccine to protect the important insects from American foulbrood, a brutal bacterial infection.
Lab-grown retinas move toward human trials
Lab-grown eye cells have demonstrated an ability to communicate, a huge milestone along the path to using them to reverse blindness.
Chickenpox and shingles virus lying dormant in your neurons can reactivate and increase your risk of stroke
People with shingles have an approximately 80% higher risk of stroke than those without the disease, and researchers want to know why.
A single injection of gene therapy made old mice live 7% longer
Biotech startup Rejuvenate Bio says it has extended the lives of elderly mice by 7% using a technique called “partial reprogramming.”
This MIT research could help us unlock smaller, lighter, and safer batteries
Replacing the liquid electrolyte in rechargeable lithium batteries with a thinner, lighter ceramic material could revolutionize technology.
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