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.
Featured
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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Personalized cancer vaccines are having a moment
Personalized cancer vaccines were a recurring theme at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in 2024.
When an antibiotic fails: MIT scientists are using AI to target “sleeper” bacteria
Most antibiotics target metabolically active bacteria, but AI can help efficiently screen compounds that are lethal to dormant microbes.
Starlink competitor unveils new internet satellite
Satellite internet startup Astranis just unveiled Omega, a new, larger satellite that could help it close the digital divide.
The threat of avian flu — and what we can do to stop it
Avian flu is infecting cows on US dairy farms, and now a person has caught it — but new research could help us avoid a bird flu pandemic.
Why batteries come in so many sizes and shapes
Despite all working the same way, batteries are made in different sizes and shapes for reasons of cost and how easy they are to make.
Even as the fusion era dawns, we’re still in the Steam Age
Why do we use steam rather than other gases? Steam has lasted this long because we have an abundance of water, covering 71% of Earth’s surface.
T-Minus: SpaceX’s first “Bandwagon” launch, NASA’s future moon vehicles, and more
Freethink counts down the biggest space news, featuring a new SpaceX service, a request for “moon time,” and more.
I am accepting my mortality to live a fuller life | Andrea Gibson
How often do you think about death? Spoken word artist Andrea Gibson is teaching us that facing mortality can shift our perspective for the better.
OpenAI and Microsoft are reportedly planning a $100B supercomputer
Microsoft is reportedly planning to build a $100 billion data center and supercomputer, called “Stargate,” for OpenAI.
Artificial reef designed by MIT engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage
An MIT team is hoping to fortify coastlines with “architected” reefs engineered to mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs.
Elon Musk: Tesla will unveil a “robotaxi” on 8/8
While denying reports that Tesla won’t be making a low-cost EV, CEO Elon Musk announced plans to unveil a “robotaxi” on August 8, 2024.
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Hard Reset
Getting to Mars isn’t enough: Why staying alive will be the biggest challenge
Meet Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, the self-proclaimed space bastards who are urging us to rethink space colonization.
Can we stop AI hallucinations? And do we even want to?
“Making stuff up” and “being creative” may be two sides of the same coin — but you have to be able to tell the difference.
When AI prompts result in copyright violations, who has to pay?
Who is responsible for copyright violations when they’re produced by generative AI? The technology is outpacing the law.
What’s next for COVID-19 drugs?
Paxlovid may have underperformed in a new trial, but other promising COVID-19 drugs are being authorized or in the works.
Google’s Deep Mind AI can help engineers predict “catastrophic failure”
How vulnerable is the electrical grid to a malicious attacker who destroys select substations? Google’s Deep Mind can help predict the answer.
Old drug appears to halt progression of Parkinson’s motor symptoms
A GLP-1 agonist used to treat diabetes appeared to halt the progression of Parkinson’s symptoms in a phase 2 trial.
Persistent “hiccups” in a far-off galaxy draw astronomers to new black hole behavior
Scientists have found a large black hole that “hiccups,” giving off plumes of gas, revealing another black hole.
“Universal” BCI lets anyone play games with their minds
A specially trained “decoder” slashes the time it takes a brain-computer interface (BCI) to read a user’s mind.
Oxytocin’s effects aren’t just about love
At last, neuroscientists are learning how the hormone shapes social behaviors such as pair-bonding and parental care. It’s more complicated than they thought.
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