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!

Coronavirus

COVID-19 tests that are fast, cheap, and less accurate may be key

Fast, cheap, DIY COVID-19 tests could dramatically increase the amount of testing done. And some experts think the trade off in accuracy would be worth it.

B. David Zarley

Clean Energy

New solar cells could be a breakthrough in clean energy

Better solar cells are an objectively good thing. Two new breakthroughs may help us harness more light, more cost effectively.

B. David Zarley

Aerospace

Meet NASA's autonomous vehicle — for Mars

When Perseverance lands on Mars, it will hopefully drive further faster than any rover before. NASA’s autonomous vehicle’s secret? A dedicated “pilot.”

B. David Zarley

Outer Space

China Mars mission joins Emirates, with U.S. to follow

With each new Mars mission, the red planet renaissance heats up this July. China and newcomer the UAE are off-world, and NASA’s on deck.

B. David Zarley

The most impressive language generator yet

OpenAI’s GPT-3 is currently the talk of Twitter. The powerful language generator is writing everything from sci-fi to code.

B. David Zarley

Mental Health

Remote therapy is as effective as face-to-face, for depression

The pandemic has therapists' couches off limits. A new study finds that remote therapy may be as effective for depression as face-to-face, so I gave it a try.

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

Doctors debate over using radiation therapy for COVID-19

Citing evidence from the past and recent, small trials, some doctors are calling for low-dose radiation therapy for COVID-19 patients. Controversy has followed.

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

New NFL mouth shield could protect players from COVID-19

The NFL’s mouth shield is designed to stop respiratory droplets. But player’s reactions have been mixed.

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

Bats may provide clues for treating COVID-19

Bats have long lives despite playing host to numerous viruses. Three scientists believe bats' immune systems may help develop new ways of treating COVID-19.

B. David Zarley

End-of-life AI

End-of-life and palliative care discussions with patients are crucial but difficult. Can AI help?

B. David Zarley