Pain relief is inexpensive but priceless to patients.

Lack of access to morphine causes 25 million people to die in pain every year

Health & Medicine

The Lancet Commission has found that people around the world are living — and dying — in excruciating pain because they have no access to morphine.

Lack of Access to Morphine Causes 25 Million People to Die in Pain Every Year

"The world suffers a deplorable pain crisis."

"This battery literally inhales and exhales air, but it doesn't exhale carbon dioxide, like humans — it exhales oxygen."

Air-breathing battery makes renewable power viable for the grid

Earth & Energy

MIT researchers developed an "air-breathing" flow battery that exhales oxygen, stores power for months, and costs a fifth of current storage batteries.

Air-Breathing Battery Makes Renewable Power Viable for the Grid

The battery stores energy for months at about one-fifth of the price of existing technologies.

A previous obstacle in gene editing has been overcome.

Scientists developed a way to precisely edit genes in the human brain

Hard Science

Researchers have developed a technique that enables gene editing on neurons — something previously thought to be impossible.

Scientists Developed a Way to Precisely Edit Genes in the Human Brain

No doubt, this will lead to a whole host of advancements in the field.

The treatment is risky, but potentially worthwhile for patients with nothing left to lose.

FDA approves radical new gene-altering cancer treatment

Yescarta, the second gene-altering cancer treatment approved by the FDA, re-engineers a patient's cells to fight off an aggressive form of blood cancer.

FDA Approves Radical New Gene-Altering Cancer Treatment

It transforms the patient's cells into "living drugs."

But his business-influenced view has ruffled feathers in the slow food movement.

Kimbal Musk has a Silicon Valley-Style Plan to Feed America

Future Society

Kimbal Musk's food philosophy says food should sustain the body, the earth, and its producer. He's acting on that with low-cost fast food and urban gardens.

His latest efforts include healthy $5 fast food and growing produce in shipping containers.

"The immune system goes from keeping cancer cells in check to awakening and feeding residual cells, while turning a blind eye to their growth."

Scientists just unlocked the catalyst for cancerous relapse

New research has found that cancer cells' interactions with the immune system after surviving treatment may be what allows dormant cancer cells to relapse.

Scientists Just Unlocked the Catalyst for Cancerous Relapse

"It is becoming increasingly clear that the immune system is at the core of the puzzle of how we can treat cancer more effectively."

Machine learning and medicine work well together.

Machine learning identifies breast lesions likely to become cancer

Artificial Intelligence

Researchers have trained a machine learning system to discern between breast lesions classified as high-risk to help prevent unnecessary surgery.

Machine Learning Identifies Breast Lesions Likely to Become Cancer

Researchers teach AI to predict which high-risk lesions present the most risk.

Next up, the team hopes to develop strategies for targeting KLF proteins in humans.

We may have found a pathway that controls aging

Researchers have found that high levels of proteins that promote "debris cleanup" in nematode and mouse cells could help us understand aging in humans, too.

We May Have Found a Pathway That Controls Aging

"Our findings provide a foundation to designing interventions which slow these processes."

Researchers say this mechanism "could be targeted by drugs to decrease bacterial virulence, and to make various antibiotics more effective."

New research shows asymmetry in bacteria might help us fight antibiotic resistance

New research into a mechanism used by gram-negative bacteria to maintain the integrity of their outer membranes could help fight antibiotic resistance.

New Research Shows Asymmetry in Bacteria Might Help Us Fight Antibiotic Resistance

Understanding this mechanism could help better target antibiotics, and even weaken the virulence of certain bacteria.

Google is aiming to hone AutoML so programmers can use it for practical applications.

Google's machine learning software has learned to replicate itself

Google's AutoML was designed to help humans create other AI systems. Now, it's creating more powerful and efficient systems than human engineers.

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Karla Lant