Contributor

B. David Zarley

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B. David Zarley is freelance journalist covering health and medicine, including infectious disease, psychedelic research, mental health, and the brain. A graduate of SUNY Fredonia, his work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Verge, Jezebel, Frieze, Sports Illustrated, VICE, Paste Magazine, and numerous other publications.

Mental Health

Low doses of nitrous oxide may treat depression

A new, small study has found that low doses of nitrous oxide — laughing gas — can treat symptoms of depression.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

MIT researchers can fit more drug in less pill

A new drug formulation method developed by chemical engineers at MIT can fit more drug into less pill.

B. David Zarley

Public Health

We may have a new ally in the fight against dengue fever

A large trial has provided the best evidence yet that infecting mosquitoes with Wolbachia can help reduce dengue infections.

B. David Zarley

Virology

A virus "chimera" reveals new dengue targets

Using a flavivirus that only infects insects, Australian researchers can safely study more dangerous viruses.

B. David Zarley

Neuroscience

Google and Harvard have created the most detailed brain map yet

Google and Harvard have released the most detailed map yet, called a connectome, of a section of the human brain.

B. David Zarley

Virology

Did the flu lose diversity during the pandemic?

After a record-low flu season, an entire clade of flu may be gone. If so, making vaccines may have become easier.

B. David Zarley

Art

Bacteria are cleaning Michelangelo's Reanaissance sculptures

Faced with stubborn, literal stains of the family’s violent past, the Medici Chapel has used bacteria to clean Michelangelos.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

Hope and controversy: FDA approves first new Alzheimer's drug in decades

The FDA has approved the first new Alzheimer’s drug in decades, but the decision brings not only hope, but controversy.

B. David Zarley

This high schooler created a drug discovery search engine

While looking for drugs to potentially fight Alzheimer’s, a high school researcher's AI did “comically” bad, until he thought of it as a search engine.

B. David Zarley

Public Health

Can a dog vaccine for Valley fever lead to a human one?

Cases of Valley fever, a fungal infection, have risen dramatically over the decade. Researchers hope a dog vaccine may lead to one for humans.

B. David Zarley