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.

Global Development

Loon is beaming balloon-based internet to Kenya

The Loon balloon-based internet platform looks to bring connectivity to those without it. The first commercial deployment is taking place high above Kenya.

B. David Zarley

Drugs

Psychedelic toad venom explained

5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic found in toad venom, causes mushroom-intense trips that are over quick. Could it have more accessible therapeutic potential?

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

Can old vaccines be new weapons against COVID-19?

Well-established vaccines using weakened pathogens provide general immune benefits. Now researchers are proposing them to help fight COVID-19.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

Researchers discover how to improve eyesight naturally

The world is aging, and with age comes vision decline. New research may have found how to improve eyesight in an accessible way.

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

This designer is making masks for people with disabilities

With special closures, see-through panels, and a riot of colors and patterns, designer Sky Cubacub is making face masks for people with disabilities.

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

The long-term health effects of COVID-19

As their numbers swell, some survivors are reporting long-term health effects of COVID-19.

B. David Zarley

Food

Fertilizer feeds half the world. Can we make it without fossil fuels?

Fertilizer is needed to feed the world, but its production comes with a carbon footprint. This solar-powered strategy may reduce that.

B. David Zarley

Archaeology

Lasers reveal a massive Mayan civilization secret

Massive and ancient, this remnant of the Mayan civilization was hidden in plain sight — until lasers revealed it.

B. David Zarley

Mental Health

Prescription video games for kids with ADHD could be on the horizon

With its FDA approval, EndeavorRx may mark the beginning of prescription video games for kids with ADHD and other mental health disorders.

B. David Zarley

History

Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls may be in animal DNA

Scholars' understanding of the Dead Sea Scrolls may be enhanced by an unusual source: the DNA of the animals they’re printed on.

B. David Zarley