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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Microsoft’s new AI needs just 3 seconds of audio to clone a voice
Microsoft has unveiled VALL-E, a voice-cloning AI that only needs a 3-second sample to simulate a speaker’s voice with remarkable accuracy.
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Hard Reset
The bionic 3rd thumb anyone can add to their hand
We flew to the UK to learn more about the designer 3D-printing third thumbs.
FDA approves new Alzheimer’s medication
Lecanemab, a new Alzheimer’s medication shown to slow cognitive decline in patients, has been granted accelerated approval by the FDA.
What happens when an astrophysicist puts ChatGPT to the test?
Can an astrophysicist get ChatGPT to learn and assimilate new information and give correct answers where it gave confident but false ones?
How to bring the entire world online
500 billion devices will be online by 2030. Here’s how that connectivity can power a sustainable future.
This 3D-printed home is made entirely of bio-based materials
Maine researchers are testing a new approach to 3D printing homes, swapping out the standard concrete “ink” for a material made of wood waste.
This Swedish start-up is building an electric airliner
A Swedish startup has joined the race to build the world’s first electric airplane to help reduce the carbon impact of flying.
Sony announces new adaptive PlayStation controller
Sony has announced a new, “out of the box” adaptive PlayStation controller, dubbed Project Leonardo.
NASA and ESA are racing to bring GPS to the moon
Two upcoming space missions by NASA and ESA could help bring satellite navigation (satnav) to the moon and cislunar space.
Artificial penis tissue restores erections in injured pigs
Artificial penis tissue that restored erections in injured pigs might one day do the same for people with erectile dysfunction.
How do floating wind turbines work?
Several full-scale demonstration projects with floating wind turbines are already operating in Europe and Asia. How do they stay afloat?
Microsoft plans to use ChatGPT in Bing. Here’s why it could be a threat to Google.
Language models could transform the ways we engage with search engines.
Elevator technology is going up
A new generation of elevator technology may soon change the way you ride.
Mother’s mitochondria used to treat her child’s rare genetic disorder
A new therapy that treats children with rare mtDNA mutations using mitochondria sourced from their mothers has now been tested in patients.
Krispy Kreme donuts to be filled, frosted, and packaged by machines
Donut company Krispy Kreme is investing in automated systems to take over functions currently completed by human workers.
Ring galaxies, the rarest in the Universe, finally explained
After decades of wondering how ring galaxies form, we’ve caught them in enough stages of evolution that we finally know where they come from.
Sophia the robot talks Elon Musk, climate change, and more
Celebrity humanoid Sophia the robot shares her “thoughts” on climate change, Elon Musk, and more with Freethink.
Apple Music is using AI to make karaoke tracks
Apple Music Sing uses AI to turn popular songs into sing-alongs.
New mRNA universal flu vaccine against all known subtypes takes promising first steps
A new universal flu vaccine candidate that uses mRNA to target all known flu subtypes looks promising in animal models.
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