The Research

Volkswagen will be integrating Amazon’s Alexa into its cars 6 The virtual assistant will allow drive to add navigational stops or unlock their vehicle Volkswagen Earlier this week,  Ford announced  that it would be integrating Amazon’s Alexa into its vehicles. Now, Volkswagen has revealed that it too would be bringing the virtual assistant into its cars. Volkswagen  announced the integration earlier this week at CES, which would allow drivers to operate the device from their car, and will connect with Volkswagen’s Car-Net functions. The company launched its Car-Net system in 2013, and it allows owners to connect to their car via a smartphone, allowing them to unlock or locate their vehicle, monitor its speed, or alert authorities if the airbag deploys. Drivers will be able to add destinations to the car’s navigation systems, check their fuel levels, or lock or unlock the vehicle from their home or office. Drivers  will also be able to purchase ...

Mark Hamill has begun dubbing Donald Trump’s tweets as the Joker 5 Donald Trump’s tweets are often the source of some ridicule. Last summer,  Futurama  voice actor Billy West dubbed a series of the President-elect’s more memorable tweets using the voice of his pompous D.O.O.P. General Zap Brannigan. Now, Mark Hamill is doing the same, using the voice of his iconic Joker from  Batman: The Animated Series . Hamill posted up the soundbite yesterday, dubbing Trump’s tweet from December 31st, in which he wished a Happy New Year to his many enemies. Hamill seems to have been inspired by writer and actor Matt Oswalt, who   mused on Twitter   that someone should create an App that transforms Trump’s tweets into Hamill’s voice for the Joker. Hamill was more than willing to take up the challenge,   writing that   “Nobody writes better super-villain dialogue than #Trumputin.” Hamill noted that this soundbite was the first, so...

The first CRISPR trial in humans took place in China For the first time ever, Chinese scientists have injected a person with cells that have been tweaked by the genome-editing technique CRISPR,  Nature  reports . The procedure was part of a clinical trial led by oncologist Lu You at the West China Hospital in Chengdu; it involved editing immune cells from a patient with aggressive lung cancer and then injecting them back into the patient to help defeat the disease. Trials with modified cells have been run before . But this is the first time that scientists are using cells edited with CRISPR — a genetic copy-and-paste tool that makes modifying cells easier and cheaper. The technique can allow scientists to make cells grow and multiply faster, in addition to inserting instructions to kill cancer on sight. A trial with CRISPR-edited cells  is expected to begin early next year  in the US to treat various types of cancers. THE HOPE IS THAT THE EDITED CELLS...

This new wearable is a stick-on stethoscope that’s smaller than a penny Jeong Lab, University of Colorado Boulder A new stick-on wearable sensor uses the symphony of internal rumblings, whooshing, gurglings, and cracklings to help doctors diagnose different conditions. And this souped-up, miniaturized stethoscope could one day be a way for clinicians to continuously monitor patients outside of the clinic. So far it’s been tested on chicken breasts and a very small group of people. IT STICKS TO THE SKIN LIKE A TEMPORARY TATTOO This wearable, smaller than a penny, can hear the beat of your heart, the sound of your voice, and even the whirr of an implantable heart pump, according to a paper  published today in the journal  Science Advances . It sticks to the skin like a temporary tattoo. Inside the device, there’s an extremely sensitive accelerometer that can pick up the motion of sound waves as they travel through the flesh and fluids of the body. An electrode m...

It’s a necessary shift in how we perceive substance abuse disorders Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wants Americans to see addiction as a brain disorder instead of a moral failing. In a new  report released today , Murthy writes that, though substance abuse disorders are a public health crisis, many don’t receive the support they need. More people have a substance abuse disorder than have cancer, but only 10 percent receive treatment. And part of the reason people don’t get help is because they’re ashamed of their disease, he  says . "I’M CALLING FOR A CULTURE CHANGE IN HOW WE THINK ABOUT ADDICTION" It’s not news that substance abuse is a big problem. People have paid a lot of attention to growing rates of addiction, including the so-called opioid epidemic. (Opioids are a class of painkiller, and abuse of prescriptions drugs is on the rise.) More people died from drug overdoses in 2014 than in any year on record, accord...

Taylor Swift and Drake might never actually be  musical collaborators , but they’ve at least figured out how to be Apple fanboy collaborators. The newest  Apple Music ad features both of them  — Drake in the flesh, and Swift in musical form, her songs played via Apple’s subscription service. The ad starts with Drake pumping iron with his buddy in a sweaty gym. He promises “no mercy” with his bicep presses, but needs some inspiration to dig deep for his next reps. Cue Swift’s “Bad Blood,” which Drake puts on and starts miming, dancing, and working out along with. The message seems to be that Apple Music is great for gym-goers, but Swift’s song is so catchy that Drake messes up the last rep and drops a barbell on his ribs. The service is “distractingly good,” the ad says, leaving Drake’s eventual fate unknown as he slides off the gym bench in pain.  Follow Apple Music   ✔ @AppleMusic No mercy this year. LET'S GET IT. @ Drake @ tayl...