Contributor

B. David Zarley

Senior Staff Writer

Contact

b.david@freethink.com

B. David Zarley is a senior staff writer for Freethink, where he covers health and medicine, including infectious disease, psychedelic research, mental health, and the brain. A graduate of SUNY Fredonia, his work has also appeared in The Atlantic, The Verge, Jezebel, Frieze, Sports Illustrated, VICE, Paste Magazine, and numerous other publications. He lives in Chicago and can be reached via Signal by request. Send him story ideas!

Engineering

These German screws will alert when a bridge is coming loose

German researchers have developed “smart” screws that know when they’re coming loose.

B. David Zarley

Brain

Genes from over 5,000 stroke patients hint at surprising treatment

A study of nearly 6,000 stroke patient genomes suggests a treatment idea abandoned for decades should get a second look.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

5G millimeter wave tech may prevent unnecessary skin biopsies

Stevens Tech researchers have developed a device which uses the same tech as the TSA does to find skin cancer tissue without a biopsy.

B. David Zarley

Genetics

A Spanish teen’s genome may hold the secret to lupus

Researchers believe they have found a single point mutation in an infection-sensing gene that causes the autoimmune disorder.

B. David Zarley

This company wants you to live forever in their metaverse

Metaverse company Somnium Space wants to create digital versions of you to live on after you pass, the newest example of digitized death-defying.

B. David Zarley

Public Health

Surprise in death data: Malaria has a U-shaped death curve

Better death records can reveal surprises about common killers like malaria — and help save lives.

B. David Zarley

Rebreather dives are wildly risky. But this might save lives.

Duke researchers have developed an early warning system for rebreather divers at risk of hypoxia.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

RNA breakthrough offers a potential heart attack cure

King’s College London researchers have used RNA to regenerate cardiac tissue in pig hearts, what they hope is the first step towards a heart attack cure.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

Researchers want to fight cancer — by mutating it even more

Sloan Kettering researchers have proposed a controversial way to improve immunotherapy: making cancer cells mutate on purpose.

B. David Zarley

Cars

Chevrolet is electrifying the Corvette

GM has announced plans to bring the Corvette roaring into the electric vehicle market.

B. David Zarley