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

Medicine

Mark Cuban launches online pharmacy to cut drug prices

Billionaire investor Mark Cuban has launched an online pharmacy designed to cut the cost of generic drugs by as much as 99%.

Kristin Houser

Addiction

Ketamine therapy may help former drinkers stay abstinent

A new study has found evidence that ketamine, combined with therapy, can help people with alcohol addiction abstain longer.

B. David Zarley

Biology

Are stem cells about to cure baldness?

Researchers have reprogrammed stem cells to successfully grow human hair on animals, hinting at a potential cure for baldness.

Kristin Houser

Surgery

Pig kidneys transplanted into body of brain-dead man

A brain-dead man was the recipient of two pig kidneys — a groundbreaking transplant that could help bring the organ shortage to an end.

Kristin Houser

Public Health

Beet juice “blood” is a potent way to kill mosquitoes

Molecular Attraction plans to kill mosquitoes transmitting malaria by tricking them into drinking beet juice “blood” laced with toxins.

Kristin Houser

Healthcare

Scientists discover possible precursor to a Parkinson’s drug

Scientists have optimized a peptide known to prevent the “protein misfolding,” that causes Parkinson’s disease. This could be a precourser to a disease treatment.

Teresa Carey

Coronavirus

You can finally order free COVID-19 tests online

Every American household can now request four free COVID-19 tests from the U.S. government using a newly launched website.

Kristin Houser

Surgery

Surgeons transplant pig heart into Maryland man

A pig heart is now beating in the chest of a man in Maryland, marking a huge step forward for xenotransplantation research.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Researchers are testing neural stimulation as a long COVID treatment

Small pilot trials of two different types of external electrical brain stimulation suggest the technique may work as a long COVID treatment.

B. David Zarley

Virology

Researchers find a new target for a universal flu vaccine: the “anchor”

There’s a new target in the battle for a universal flu vaccine: the "anchor,” a part of the virus’ proteins less likely to mutate.

B. David Zarley

Sections

Series & Columns

Freethink

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