Health

The future of fertility, from artificial wombs to AI-assisted IVF

A look back at the history of infertility treatments and ahead to the tech that could change everything we thought we knew about reproduction.

Kristin Houser

Overlay of hands and abstract patterns in purple and blue tones, symbolizing hope for Parkinson's cure.

Drugs

The exciting research that may cure Parkinson’s

GeneCode is developing a drug it hopes won’t just alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms but also protect and restore patient’s neural health.

Kevin Dickinson

A child sitting on a couch in a dimly lit room, holding and looking intently at a tablet, as if testing the Goldilocks hypothesis for the perfect screen brightness.

Mental Health

Beyond screen time: Rethinking kids’ tech use with the “Goldilocks hypothesis”

The “Goldilocks hypothesis” asks parents to think beyond screen time and consider the habits that teens build around technology use.

Kevin Dickinson

This startup is creating a toothpaste for your peanut allergy

Immunotherapy for allergies can help reduce allergic reactions, but it needs to be daily. Could toothpaste provide a solution?

B. David Zarley

IBM’s artificial intelligence may help us defeat superbugs

A new AI tool detected 20 viable drug candidates in less than two months

Amanda Winkler

DoorDash is now offering COVID-19 test delivery

DoorDash is now offering COVID-19 test delivery in 12 cities, bringing at-home COVID-19 test kits to people the same day they’re ordered.

Kristin Houser

A plant-based COVID vaccine is going into arms

A COVID-19 vaccine grown in plants is beginning phase 3 clinical trials.

B. David Zarley

Virus hidden in human for years may have caused new ebola outbreak

A genetic report shows that a survivor of the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Guinea is likely to have begun the latest episode.

Teresa Carey

Scientists grow tear gland organoids that can actually cry

Researchers have grown tear gland organoids that can actually cry, a potential breakthrough in the treatment of dry eye disease.

Kristin Houser

Virology

One mosquito protein weakens several deadly flaviviruses

A mosquito protein that targets the viral envelope of flaviviruses, inhibiting their activity, could help doctors treat several life-threatening diseases.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Facebook’s vaccine hunters are helping Americans get vaccinated

COVID-19 shots are here, but making an appointment can be a pain. Vaccine hunters are playing matchmaker on Facebook to get jabs into arms.

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

US will spend $1 billion studying long COVID

The U.S. is dedicating $1.15 billion to studying long COVID, a condition in which survivors experience long-term effects of COVID-19.

Kristin Houser

Healthcare

Nurse’s smelling “superpower” leads to skin swab test for Parkinson’s

Researchers developed a skin swab test for Parkinson’s after studying a woman’s strange ability to smell the disease.

Kristin Houser

Sections

Series & Columns

Freethink

We focus on solutions: the smartest people, the biggest ideas, and the most ground breaking technology shaping our future.