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

Surgery

Wasps inspire a new surgical needle

The next new surgical tool may come from an odd place: parasitic wasps whose eggs eat their hosts inside-out.

B. David Zarley

Surgery

New organ coating could help prevent transplant rejection

A coating for donor organs that minimized the chance of transplant rejection in mice might one day eliminate the need for immunosuppressants.

Kristin Houser

Climate Crisis

Using body bags to treat heatstroke

The Pacific Northwest heat wave crushed hospitals with heatstroke victims. Doctors turned to body bags to save lives.

B. David Zarley

Brain

Fecal transplants reverse aging in brains of old mice

Fecal transplants from younger to older mice appear to reverse aging in the brains of the seniors, improving their memories and cognition.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

New treatment may prevent heart damage from COVID-19

An experimental drug that stopped the coronavirus from entering cells in heart organoids may be able to prevent heart damage from COVID-19.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

Already-approved ALS drug may help Alzheimer’s patients

A small phase 2 study has found evidence that ALS medication riluzole may have potential as a drug for Alzheimer’s.

B. David Zarley

Public Health

Graphene foam sucks uranium out of contaminated water

MIT researchers have developed a graphene foam water filter that eliminates uranium contamination in hours.

B. David Zarley

Virology

Pfizer’s RSV vaccine 100% effective in human challenge trial

An RSV vaccine developed by Pfizer was reportedly 100% effective in a small human challenge trial and caused minimal side effects.

Kristin Houser

Genetics

Permanent hearing loss may be reversible

A new mouse study suggests we may be able to reverse permanent hearing loss in humans by tapping into a latent regenerative ability.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

Researchers have created a brain sensor swarm

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed an injectable swarm of nanosenors they hope will measure the brain noninvasively.

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.