Health

a vaccine vial in front of a backdrop of cells

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.

Kristin Houser

Sustainability

Scientists have invented a method to break down “forever chemicals” in our drinking water

Researchers have discovered a way to eliminate “forever chemicals,” or PFAS, which usually take hundreds or thousands of years to break down.

Johnny Wood

X-ray image of a human chest showing lungs and rib cage, with visible abnormal dark patches indicating possible tuberculosis.

Medicine

AI can help predict whether a patient will respond to specific tuberculosis treatments

Instead of a one-size-fits-all treatment approach, AI could help personalize treatments for each patient to provide the best outcomes.

Sriram Chandrasekaran

Coronavirus

Hospitals, morgues, and drive-ins: Empty stadiums fill new purposes

Their roars dulled, empty stadiums are serving as field hospitals, supply depots, morgues, drive-in theaters … and an Airbnb.

B. David Zarley

Mental Health

Ketamine discovery may lead to new antidepressants

Researchers have uncovered new insights into how ketamine affects the brain, potentially illuminating the path to new antidepressants.

Kristin Houser

Mental Health

New health wearable measures sweat to track your mood

An app that works with a wearable wrist sensor to track how much a person sweats could change how we harness the power of biodata in the future.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

New drug could provide long-term HIV prevention

HIV prevention typically requires a daily pill. A new, injectable drug may be able to work for over a month at a time.

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

Wearables can detect coronavirus symptoms early

A study involving more than 600 people found that the Oura Ring wearables can detect coronavirus symptoms 72 hours prior to onset with 90% accuracy.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Gamers are helping find COVID-19 vaccines

Developing COVID-19 vaccines is a challenge. RNA platforms show some promise, but overcoming their drawbacks requires help — perhaps from a video game.

B. David Zarley

Drugs

This company is using beer yeast to make psilocybin

Brewing the magic in Psilocybe cubensis is difficult at scale. One Danish company thinks beer yeast may be the answer.

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

Japan ends state of emergency, seniors DJ from home, and more

In our weekly news roundup, we take you inside the fight against COVID-19 to explore the solutions on the frontlines of an unprecedented global response.

Kristin Houser

Prosthetics

Prosthetic leg uses AI to adjust to different terrains

A new computer vision system developed to work with a prosthetic leg predicts the type of terrain ahead so that the limb can adjust accordingly.

Kristin Houser

Fertility

How GMO zebrafish could inspire new infertility treatments

By genetically modifying zebrafish, researchers have discovered a sex hormone that could lead to future infertility treatments for humans.

Kristin Houser

Sections

Video

Freethink

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