April 16, 2026
(Wired) – California-based startup Sabi is developing a thought-to-text wearable that could usher in the cyborg future. Speech-to-text capability is now baked into all modern computers. But what if you didn’t have to dictate to your computer? What if you … Read More
April 16, 2026
(New Scientist) – Monkeys with around 300 electrodes implanted in their brain were able to steer avatars around different virtual environments Monkeys fitted with a brain-computer interface (BCI) successfully navigated a variety of virtual worlds using only their thoughts. Researchers … Read More
April 16, 2026
(NYT) – The review said a certain class of drugs had little clinical benefit, but many Alzheimer’s experts criticized the analysis, saying it unfairly lumped failed drugs with two recently approved treatments. Since the approval of new Alzheimer’s drugs in … Read More
April 15, 2026
(IEEE Spectrum) – Early BCI users reveal what the technology gives—and takes More people have gone to space than have received advanced brain-computer interfaces (BCI) like his. But a growing number of companies are now attempting to move the devices … Read More
April 14, 2026
(Washington Post via MSN) – Older adults — those 60 and older — are the fastest-growing group of cannabis users in the country. According to a 2022 study, adults over 60 who started using did so for medical reasons, including … Read More
April 13, 2026
(BBC) – A ballerina with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) says she was able to dance again after her brainwaves were used to power an avatar live on-stage in Amsterdam. Breanna Olson, a mother of three, found out two and a … Read More
April 9, 2026
(New York Times) – New research is upending what we thought about the consciousness of patients, leaving families with agonizing choices. The vegetative state, as it turned out, was not fixed — though, practically, the label tended to stick. Tabitha … Read More
April 8, 2026
(Washington Post via MSN) – The data remains sparse: An analysis published last year found that just a tiny fraction of the more than 40,000 autism papers published between 1980 and 2021 included people over 50. But the number of … Read More
April 8, 2026
(NYT) – An analysis of hundreds of images from several studies shows how hallucinogenic drugs drive activity in various regions of the brain. Their findings, published on Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, suggest that psychedelics prompt a welter of … Read More
April 1, 2026
(NYT) – Cohen Miles-Rath heard voices telling him to kill his father. After they passed, he spent years retracing the path of his delusions. His memoir, “Mending Reality: An Advocate’s Existential Journey With Mental Health,” was published last summer by … Read More
March 31, 2026
(Wired) – Galen Buckwalter says brain-computer interfaces will have to be enjoyable to use if the technology is going to be successful. Buckwalter has been a quadriplegic since a diving accident at age 16 left him paralyzed from the chest … Read More
March 26, 2026
(Nature) – The comprehensive guide draws on brain scans from almost 3,600 people, ranging from infants to centenarians. It maps a property called functional connectivity, which describes the level of coordination between separate brain regions. The data suggest that in … Read More
March 25, 2026
(Bloomberg) – Doctors call it Ondine’s curse—a catastrophic failure of the brain stem in which breathing no longer happens automatically, especially during sleep. It’s extremely rare, typically seen only in infants with genetic mutations or adults after severe trauma, and … Read More
March 24, 2026
(MIT Technology Review) – Coles, a gerontologist who spent the latter part of his career studying human longevity, opted to have his brain cryogenically preserved when he died of pancreatic cancer. After he was declared dead, Coles’s body was kept … Read More
March 24, 2026
(Wired) – R3 Bio has a bold idea for replacing lab animals: genetically-engineered whole organ systems that lack a brain. The long-term goal, says a cofounder, is to make human versions. As the Trump administration phases out the use of … Read More
March 23, 2026
(MIT Technology Review) – Placebo and “knowcebo” effects are a problem. But they can also help people feel better. Over the last decade, we’ve seen scientific interest in these drugs explode. But most clinical trials of psychedelics have been small … Read More
March 20, 2026
(The Atlantic) – When I set out to report on the sports-betting industry—its explosive growth, its sudden cultural ubiquity, and what it’s doing to America—my editors thought I should experience the phenomenon firsthand. Mindful of my religious constraints, they proposed … Read More
March 19, 2026
(Nature) – Chip allows people with paralysis to control a soft robotic hand. China has approved a brain implant for people with severe paralysis to help restore their hand movements. The brain–computer interface (BCI) is the first in the world … Read More
March 18, 2026
(NPR) – The treatment in question is leucovorin, a derivative of vitamin B9 — also called folinic acid — that is commonly used during cancer treatment. Federal officials said it could help treat a rare brain condition called cerebral folate … Read More
March 18, 2026
(The Pilot) – How can rapid advancements in medical technology, questions about the criteria for brain death and the rise of transhumanism be considered within a Catholic framework? Charlie Camosy recently spoke on this topic with Gabriel LeBeau, a second-year … Read More
March 17, 2026
(WSJ) – The psychedelic-like anesthetic is at the heart of a booming online industry that promises relief from depression but has also led to harm Just a few years ago, ketamine had mostly a dual existence: as an anesthetic to … Read More
March 17, 2026
(Wired) – Evidence suggests reactivations of the varicella-zoster virus may accelerate aging and raise dementia risk. Now scientists want to know if vaccines and antivirals could help protect the brain. This remarkable case study, published in 2016, has inspired neurovirologists … Read More
March 13, 2026
(The Guardian) – Meta and YouTube accused of creating harmful products in trial seen as a bellwether for attitudes towards social media “How did they become such behemoths?” Mark Lanier, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said during closing arguments in … Read More
March 13, 2026
(Nature) – ‘Cryosleep’ remains the preserve of science fiction, but researchers are getting closer to restoring brain function after deep freezing. Researchers attempting the cryogenic freezing and thawing of brain tissue from humans and other animals — mostly young vertebrates … Read More
March 13, 2026
(Aeon) – Your inability to focus isn’t a failing. It’s a design problem, and the answer isn’t getting rid of our screen time These publications and technologies existed alongside serious thought. The penny dreadfuls didn’t prevent Charles Dickens, John Stuart … Read More