AI is here – and everywhere: 3 AI researchers look to the challenges ahead in 2024

AI scholars look ahead to 2024 and describe the issues developers, regulators, and everyday people are likely to face. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

First jet suit race is less than a month away

During the world’s first jet suit race, eight competitors will take flight over the water off the coast of Dubai. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

Anti-aging pill for senior dogs is now in clinical trials

An anti-aging pill for senior dogs now in clinical trials might lead to treatments that extend human lives, too. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

A new way to swiftly eliminate micropollutants from water

Scientists at MIT are using zwitterionic hydrogels to sustainably capture both organic and inorganic micropollutants from water. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

T-Minus: The Mars helicopter’s final flight, a moon lander’s reawakening, and more

Freethink's weekly countdown of the biggest space news, featuring Ingenuity's final flight on Mars, SLIM's revival, and more. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

OpenAI is reportedly investing in humanoid robots

Microsoft and OpenAI reportedly plan to invest $100 million into Figure, a startup developing a humanoid robot for the workplace. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

How to find success with the 4 conditions of “intelligent failure”

Intelligent failure occurs in a low-risk environment and leads to growth or new knowledge. To fail intelligently, follow five strategies. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

Meet Apollo, the real-life robot who wants to give you more free time

Will robots replace us? Apptronik, creator of the general purpose robot Apollo, has crafted a product that would only take the undesirable tasks away from humans. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

Scientists scrutinize happiness research

Scientists dig into the research on happiness and find there isn’t always sound evidence behind recommended strategies for achieving it. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

Elon Musk’s Neuralink has implanted its first device in a human being

Now that Neuralink has implanted a device in a person, CEO Elon Musk is closer to his goal of making brain chips common in the future. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

Will AI companions help or hurt the “loneliness epidemic”?

About a third of people are lonely. Three scholars consider whether AI can help, or if it'll just make things worse. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

When the Mac was a “munition”

Macs were once deemed a threat to national security. Will today’s AI rules seem similarly outdated when we look back on them? | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

A dietician explains “Zepbound,” the newest weightloss drug

Zepbound recently joined the list of obesity-fighting drugs administered as injections that has been approved by the FDA. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

One-and-done anti-aging treatment “rejuvenates” old mice

CAR-T cells that have been modified to target senescent cells could be a one-and-done anti-aging treatment. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 9 months ago

World’s first malaria vaccination campaign launches in Cameroon

Cameroon has launched the world’s first malaria vaccine program — a huge milestone on the path to a malaria-free future. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

The growing link between microbes, mood, and mental health

New research suggests that to maintain a healthy brain, we should tend our gut microbiome not through pills and supplements, but better food. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Tech hacks the nervous system to bring touch to virtual reality

Afference's Phantom conducts electrical signals through nerves in the fingers to convince your brain it feels objects in virtual spaces. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

NASA lays out the path to space-based solar power

A NASA study found that space-based solar power is likely far too expensive, but it also details what would need to happen to make it work. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Researchers release open-source space debris model

The MIT Orbital Capacity Assessment Tool lets users model the long-term future space environment to map space debris. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

New AI detection tool measures how “surprising” word choices are

A new AI detection tool that measure how "surprising" text is reportedly delivers far fewer false positives than existing options. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Drinking this foam could boost an experimental cancer therapy

A drinkable foam packed with carbon monoxide molecules appears to boost the cancer-killing effects of autophagy inhibitors. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

No pain, no gain? Science debunks yet another exercise myth

Exercise culture advertises intense workouts as the best way to see gains. But research suggests moderate exercise is better. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

T-Minus: NASA cracks asteroid capsule, Japan joins exclusive moon club, and more

Freethink's weekly countdown of the biggest space news, featuring Japan's moon landing, NASA's asteroid sample, and more. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Deaf boy hears within days of receiving new gene therapy

A gene therapy designed to treat a rare form of genetic deafness has restored hearing in the first patient to receive it. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Three ways your environment affects your intelligence

These examples underscore the importance of environmental regulation and policies; otherwise, we might just be throwing away our intelligence. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

UK’s “DragonFire” laser weapon downs its first drones

The UK’s high-powered DragonFire laser weapon just shot down its first drones — bringing it one step closer to the battlefield. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

DeepMind’s AI could accelerate drug discovery

A new study suggests that AlphaFold, DeepMind’s AI tool for predicting protein structures, could be useful for drug discovery after all. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Einstein’s 7 rules for a better life

His fame extended far beyond the field of physics, as Einstein played major roles in politics, media, and even the everyday affairs of life. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Ice plumes could reveal signs of life on Europa and Enceladus

A new study shows how we could study the icy plumes of Europa and Enceladus without damaging any complex organic molecules in the process. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Pig liver filters blood outside a person’s body for 72 hours

A gene-edited pig liver that filtered the blood of a person who was brain dead for 72 hours could one day help people with liver failure. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Are EVs really cheaper to own? It all depends on the model.

While electric vehicles (EVs) have higher upfront costs, some claim they are cheaper over their lifetimes due to lower fuel and maintenance costs. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

See the humanoid robots that will build new BMWs

General purpose robots developed by robotics startup Figure are going to be deployed at a BMW Manufacturing plant. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

“Resilience”: How a genocide scholar faces history’s darkest moments

Genocide historian Omer Bartov says studying his particularly challenging subject has made him more mentally resilient. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Immune cells linked to allergies can kill cancer

The newly discovered cancer-killing abilities of a type of immune cell linked to allergies suggests it could be a new immunotherapy. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Urine-propelled nanobots shrink bladder tumors by 90% in animals

Tiny, radioactive nanobots propelled by urine shrank bladder tumors by 90% in mice, suggesting a new way to target the disease. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Ultrasound waves help Alzheimer’s drug get into the brain

Beaming focused ultrasound waves into the heads of Alzheimer’s patients helped a drug bypass the blood-brain barrier. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Engineers develop a vibrating, ingestible capsule that might help treat obesity

MIT engineers designed an ingestible capsule that vibrates within the stomach, creating an illusory sense of fullness and reducing appetite. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

10 must-see technologies from CES 2024

From super-hyped AI assistants to apps that translate babies’ cries, CES 2024 has given us a glimpse at the tech of tomorrow, today. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Data poisoning: how artists are sabotaging AI to take revenge on image generators

Artists unhappy with their work being used by generative AI have are using "data poisoning" to mess with the algorithm. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Swiss startup unveils the world’s first hydrogen VTOL jet

Swiss startup Sirius Aviation has unveiled a hydrogen VTOL it says could carry three passengers more than 1,000 miles without refueling. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Microsoft launches Copilot Pro for “power users”

Microsoft has launched Copilot Pro, a premium subscription service that makes its AI companion accessible to more people in more contexts. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Hard Reset Podcast: Oil Spills | Episode #11

Scientists invented an oil spill “magic eraser.” We want to know: does it work? Is it scalable? And what’s its environmental impact? | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

T-Minus: NASA’s Artemis update, a rocket’s maiden flight, and more

This is T-Minus, where we count down the biggest developments in space, from new rocket launches to discoveries that advance our understanding of the universe and our place in it. […] | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

6 tech trends at CES 2024 that are shaping the future

From AI to health and the metaverse, these tech trends promise to change our lives long after the excitement of the newest TV wears off. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Why Germany is a blank spot on Google’s Street View

Germany and Austria are a conspicuous gap in the mess of Google Maps' Street View locations that covers the rest of Europe. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

New graphene semiconductor could revolutionize electronics

The first working graphene semiconductor outperformed silicon, suggesting that the supermaterial could be the future of electronics. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Microsoft AI discovers 18 new battery materials in two weeks

Using AI and cloud computing, Microsoft was able to quickly identify 18 promising battery materials for the Department of Energy. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago

Are anxiety and depression social problems or chemical disorders?

As antidepressants will soon be a $16B industry, the chemical imbalance theory suits business interests better than health interests. | Continue reading


@freethink.com | 10 months ago