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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New fentanyl vaccine could help avoid relapses and overdoses
An in-development fentanyl vaccine that prevents the drug from entering the brain could one day help people avoid relapsing or overdosing.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft sends back first images
NASA has shared the first images from its Orion spacecraft, which is expected to do a lunar flyby on November 21.
Injectable gel repairs severe spinal cord injuries and enables mice to walk
An injectable gel that prevents scar formation and stimulates regeneration successfully repaired severe spinal cord injuries in mice.
Lab-grown meat clears major FDA hurdle
Startup UPSIDE Foods’ lab-grown chicken has passed a key FDA checkpoint, putting cultured meat one step closer to sale in the US.
UK test-fires its first high-energy laser weapon
The UK has successfully test-fired the $115 million DragonFire, its first high-powered, long-range laser weapon.
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Hard Reset
A $75k fantasy house you can build yourself in weeks
Could bringing back ancient pyramid-building techniques make carbon-negative housing a reality?
What is the largest planet out of all the ones we know?
The “upper limit” to the size of our planets is exceeded in other stellar systems, but double Jupiter’s radius seems to be the limit.
Study finds mindfulness as effective as medication for anxiety
An intensive form of mindfulness was found as effective as Lexapro in treating anxiety in adults in the first head-to-head comparative study.
“Robot rooms” could be the future of homes and offices
Integrating robots into walls, ceilings, furniture, and appliances could radically change our indoor spaces.
An open source tool to unlock cures
There are 37 trillion cells in your body. This discovery platform lets scientists map them.
Moderna to develop mRNA vaccines for Ebola
Moderna is reportedly nearing a deal with the DoD to develop mRNA vaccines for biological threats like Ebola
New “risky” playground could make kids anti-fragile
A new playground in Melbourne’s Southbank is the work of artist Mike Hewson, who introduces “risk” back into play.
Our ancestors first developed humanlike brains 1.7 million years ago
Using computed tomography, a team of researchers generated images of what the brains of early Homo species likely looked like.
Cheap blood pressure med could help treat alcoholism
Spironolactone, a cheap medication used to treat high blood pressure, might also be able to help people overcome alcohol use disorder.
New deep brain stimulator is powered automatically by breathing
A deep brain stimulator powered by breathing could eliminate the need for patients to undergo regular battery-change surgeries.
Brain implant translates neural activity into letters, letting a paralyzed man “speak”
A new device allowed a paralyzed patient to “speak,” spelling out full sentences in real-time with an error rate of about 8%.
Old herpes drug helps kill deadly superbug
The anti-herpes drug edoxudine can weaken the deadly superbug K-pneumoniae, potentially offering a new weapon against antibiotic resistance.
Spinal cord stimulation helps paralyzed patients walk again
Swiss researchers have used epidural electrical stimulation to restore walking in nine people with chronic spinal cord injuries.
Doctors may not be ready for blood tests that screen for multiple cancers at once
MCED tests are different from existing ones because they are trying to detect early-stage cancer, when there aren’t that many tumor cells.
“SkinKit” lets ordinary people build their own “smart tattoos”
“SkinKit” smart tattoos are wearable devices that collect data directly from users’ bodies and display useful information in real time.
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