The Digital Frontier

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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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AI could help cancer patients avoid a deadly recurrence
A new study found that AI can use a patient’s initial skin cancer growth to predict their risk of melanoma recurrence.
Chinese robot helps convert moon dust into fuel and oxygen 
Chinese researchers have built an autonomous robot to set up an ISRU system for converting lunar soil into fuel and oxygen.
New exercise study could find drugs that mimic working out 
MIT and Harvard researchers mapped out many of the cells, genes, and cellular pathways that are modified by exercise or high-fat diet.
This cheap material could capture CO2 from power plants before it pollutes the atmosphere
The simple compound costs just a fraction of similar carbon-capturing materials.
7 ways CRISPR is shaping the future of food 
Using the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR, researchers are altering crops and animals to add desirable traits and remove undesirable ones.
Pfizer’s RSV vaccine for pregnant women protects newborns
Pfizer plans to begin the regulatory approval process by the end of the year.
The sex workers taking on Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal
Big banks are blocking sex work payments. Is crypto the answer?
These earbuds can tell if a newborn has hearing problems
A newborn hearing screening device made from off-the-shelf earbuds is as effective as expensive commercial options.
Protecting the rainforest from space
Meet the network using AI and satellite imagery to fight the illegal use of land in Brazil.
These psychedelic “body snatchers” regenerate their bodies and absorb other organism’s attributes 
These bizarre mollusks have the ability to regenerate their bodies and to absorb other organisms’ attributes.
AI-discovered drug for ALS enters human trials in just four years
Verge Genomics has begun a trial of their AI-found ALS drug candidate, one of the first tests for this new method of drug discovery.
Open-source maps are saving the rainforest—and the world
Meet the techno-optimists saving rainforests – and making their solution open source.
NASA “Flashlight” will hunt for hidden water on the moon
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight mission will use reflections from laser light to measure lunar water hidden in permanently shadowed craters.
How Greek philosopher Democritus predicted the atom in 400 B.C.E.
The idea of atoms goes as far back as the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus in 400 B.C.E., who thought physics left no room for free will.
“Adaptive WiFi” wants to learn your habits 
You’re already living in a smart home – but there’s one thing missing.
NASA detects 50+ methane “super-emitters” from space 
A new instrument aboard the International Space Station has been used to identify more than 50 “super-emitters” of methane.
Norway helped remake a US prison. Here’s what happened.
With single cells, a communal kitchen, Nordic-like furnishings and a landscaped, outdoor green space, it looks unlike any other U.S. prison.
Understanding cancer’s “dark matter”
Researchers have discovered that cancer’s epigenome — changes to how genes are expressed that aren’t mutations — may play a key role in its behavior.
Inside Dubai’s solar megaplant   
Dubai built the world’s largest single-site solar plant – and it’s just getting started.
FDA approves first-of-its-kind blood cancer treatment 
The FDA has approved Johnson & Johnson’s Tecvayli, a new blood cancer treatment for people with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
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