Inside the race to make human sex cells in the lab
The way we make babies could be about to change. Maybe. An embryo forms when…
The Download: synthetic sex cells, and brain stimulation
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s…
Software can do better than ‘male,’ ‘female,’ and ‘other’
For transgender and nonbinary people like me, a society organized into only “male” and “female”…
How do strong muscles keep your brain healthy?
We’ve often thought about muscle as a thing that exists separately from intellect—and perhaps that…
The Download: the impact of video games, and healthy brains
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s…
We may never fully know how video games affect our well-being
For decades, lawmakers, researchers, journalists, and parents have worried that video games are bad for…
A Chicago city sensor project goes global
At a table in the Berghoff German restaurant in downtown Chicago in 2012, Charlie Catlett…
The fight for “Instagram face”
In October 2021, Facebook announced a massive pivot, changing its name to Meta and going…
Erik Prince wants to sell you a “secure” smartphone that’s too good to be true
Erik Prince’s pitch to investors was simple—but certainly ambitious: pay just €5 million and cure…
Ring’s new TV show is a brilliant but ominous viral marketing ploy
There’s a genre of video floating around TikTok, Facebook, Nextdoor, and countless other social apps…