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!

Outer Space

Astronauts lose muscle in space. These mice could hold the solution

Without gravity, astronauts experience muscle and bone loss, limiting mission time. Mice that gain mass in orbit may hold the key to preventing that loss.

B. David Zarley

Underwater robots may be the future of deep sea mining

Tech requires raw material, and some lays at the bottom of the sea. Could underwater robots be the future of deep sea mining?

B. David Zarley

Climate Crisis

Could a Norwegian “hurricane net” stop storms by cooling the sea?

Norwegian company OceanTherm uses bubble nets to keep ice out of fjords. Could a hurricane net weaken the storms?

B. David Zarley

Drugs

Microdosing LSD may provide pain relief

Since the 1960s, LSD has been seen as a potential painkiller. Now, new research suggests microdosing LSD may indeed provide relief.

B. David Zarley

Robotics

These microbots may one day crawl through the body

Researchers have designed semiconductor legs for microbots. Laser activated, they are the first capable of being controlled by standard electronic signals.

B. David Zarley

Biology

It's now easier to see individual atoms, thanks to new tech

With improved tech, two teams have sharpened cryo-electron microscopy to be able to see individual atoms.

B. David Zarley

Virology

Influenza virus may be transmitted by particles in the air

Airborne particles like dust and dander not caused by breathing — “aerosolized fomites” — may be a route of influenza virus transmission.

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

The social distancing traffic light

Assessing your COVID-19 risk for everyday activities will be key to some kind of normalcy. Now, researchers want to add nuance to social distancing.

B. David Zarley

Animals

The murder hornet’s genome may help stop the invasion

The Asian giant hornet has invaded the Pacific Northwest. Researchers hope a map of the murder hornet’s genome can help their hunt for them.

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

Can the common cold help battle COVID-19?

The common cold can be caused by a coronavirus. New research suggests the immune response it causes may help protect against COVID-19.

B. David Zarley