Jess Hamzelou

Jess Hamzelou

@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

Senior reporter at MIT Technology Review. Previously at New Scientist. Knight Science Journalism fellow '24. Health, biomed and biotech. She/her. Signal: jess_hamzelou.01

1K followers265 following32 posts

Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

This vital and devastating investigation by my brilliant colleagues @eileenguo.bsky.social and @jamesmodonnell.bsky.social is an absolute must-read. The US spent billions on border surveillance. Why can't it catch people before they die? www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/21/1...

technologyreview.comThe US spent billions on border surveillance. Why can’t it catch people before they die?Surveillance towers, increasingly powered by AI, promised faster responses to crossings. Our investigation of deaths near the towers found they are failing to deliver.

Jess Hamzelou reposted

Eileen Guo (is on leave for rest of 2026)
@eileenguo.bsky.social

W/ith @giselilla.bsky.social + @cargocultscientist.bsky.social, I delved into the origins of the “censorship-industrial complex” idea, how it went from the fringes of the online right to a driver of Trump2 policy, + what it means for the Internet. www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/07/1...

technologyreview.comHow ideas of a vast censorship network moved from the online fringe to Trump policyNarratives about a “censorship-industrial complex” spread in right-wing circles for years; then they took hold of Washington. What—and who—is behind them?

Jess Hamzelou reposted

Niall Firth
@niallfirth.bsky.social

I had a pretty intense experience deep beneath the North Sea, which I wrote about here for @technologyreview.com's new Engineering issue. Involves explosions, Norwegians and darkness. www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/22/1...

technologyreview.comInside the world’s deepest and longest subsea road tunnelNorway’s Rogfast is an exceptional engineering feat, opening a route for drivers deep below the North Sea. We went down to see it.

Jess Hamzelou reposted

Michelle Kim
@michelletomkim.bsky.social

I'll be reporting on the Musk v. Altman trial at the Oakland courthouse for @technologyreview.com. I'm a lawyer who clerked for a federal judge in California, so follow me to unpack what's really happening in the courtroom! www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/27/1...

technologyreview.comElon Musk and Sam Altman are going to court over OpenAI’s futureElon Musk says he’s suing to save the company’s mission. The case could have huge consequences for OpenAI and the AI race.
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

Scoop for the weekend: Scientists have managed to keep a human uterus alive outside of the body for a day - a first. They want to learn more about the very first stages of pregnancy... and potentially gestate a human. www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/28/1...

technologyreview.comA woman’s uterus has been kept alive outside the body for the first timeThe team behind the feat plan to study uterine disorders and the early stages of pregnancy—and potentially grow a human fetus.

Jess Hamzelou reposted

James O'Donnell
@jamesmodonnell.bsky.social

A scoop: DHS is using AI video generators from Google and Adobe to make content shared with the public. It comes as workers in tech have put pressure on their employers to denounce the agency's activities. www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/29/1...

technologyreview.comDHS is using Google and Adobe AI to make videosImmigration agencies have been flooding social media with bizarre, seemingly AI-generated content. We now know more about what might be making it.
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

There's a group of people who believe death is humanity's core problem. Meet the Vitalists: the hardcore longevity enthusiasts who want to spark a longevity revolution. "Without a revolution, we're as good as dead," cofounder Adam Gries told me. www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/29/1...

technologyreview.comMeet the Vitalists: the hardcore longevity enthusiasts who believe death is “wrong”They argue we need a revolution—and more and more influential scientists, funders, and politicians are taking them seriously.
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

The Washington Post reports that Jim O'Neill will replace Susan Monarez as head of the CDC. O'Neill is a longevity enthusiast who has supported deregulation of drugs and the idea of creating new jurisdictions at sea. Here's my recent profile: www.technologyreview.com/2025/06/30/1...

technologyreview.comMeet Jim O’Neill, the longevity enthusiast who is now RFK Jr.’s right-hand manThe newest addition to Trump’s health agency wants to create new cities in the sea, extend human lifespan, and Make America Healthy Again.
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

The world's "oldest baby" has just been born: a big welcome to the world to baby Thaddeus, who developed from an embryo that was in storage for 30 and a half years www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/29/1...

technologyreview.comExclusive: A record-breaking baby has been born from an embryo that’s over 30 years oldThe embryos were created in 1994, while the expectant father was still a toddler, and donated via a Christian “embryo adoption” agency.
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

The bill essentially expands Right to Try, a law designed for terminally ill people. But was developed and lobbied for by people interested in longevity. The idea is to let people experiment with potentially lifespan-extending drugs.

Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

Under the new bill, treatments will only need to have passed preliminary phase I trials (which tend to involve 20-100 people) before they can be made accessible. Biothicists and legal scholars are concerned about the ethics of selling unproven drugs - and worry that people could get hurt.

Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

When Joyce Esser, who has motor neuron disease, used her AI voice clone to tell her husband to "get his arse in gear," she was temporarily banned from using it. Should tech companies be screening or limiting what people like Joyce can say? www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/14/1...

technologyreview.comA woman made her AI voice clone say “arse.” Then she got banned.People with motor neuron disease should be allowed to say whatever they want, including “arse” and “knickers.”
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

Humanlike "teeth" have been grown in mini pigs Researchers mixed human and pig tooth cells and grew them in the lab, then implanted them into the jaws of living mini pigs. They formed little bioengineered teeth! Goal is to make replacement teeth for ppl www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/06/1...

technologyreview.comHumanlike “teeth” have been grown in mini pigsThe toothlike structures represent a step toward bioengineered replacements for dental implants, say researchers behind the work.
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

Scientists! Health professionals! If you and/or important research/programs are being affected by executive orders, memos and directives being issued under the new administration, please get in touch. You can reach me securely via Signal at jess_hamzelou.01

Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

We're creating more IVF embryos than ever, and millions of them are ending up frozen in suspended animation for years or decades. Some will be used to start pregnancies, or donated for research. But many of them will be stuck in limbo. Indefinitely. www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/13/1...

technologyreview.comInside the strange limbo facing millions of IVF embryosFrozen embryos are filling storage banks around the world. It's a struggle to know what to do with them.
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Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

And it varies by country. In the UK, embryos can be stored for 55 years, as long as ppl renew their consent every 10 years. In the US, many clinics don't like to destroy embryos - they worry about bad press or legal action if the intended parents change their minds about using those embryos.

Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

In Italy, people are not allowed to destroy or donate their embryos. Any "leftover" frozen embryos are stuck in storage, ostensibly forever. I learned so much about the fascinating and murky status of embryos for this piece. Thank you to all sources. www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/13/1...

technologyreview.comInside the strange limbo facing millions of IVF embryosFrozen embryos are filling storage banks around the world. It's a struggle to know what to do with them.
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

We're creating more IVF embryos than ever, and millions of them are ending up frozen in suspended animation for years or decades. Some will be used to start pregnancies, or donated for research. But many of them will be stuck in limbo. Indefinitely. www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/13/1...

technologyreview.comInside the strange limbo facing millions of IVF embryosFrozen embryos are filling storage banks around the world. It's a struggle to know what to do with them.
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

Scientific advances have helped us improve how we freeze and thaw embryos, and IVF success rates. But sticky social, religious, and legal factors mean we often don't know what to do with "leftover" embryos. Some see them as people. Some see them as property. Many think they're somewhere in between

Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

Bird flu presents a "high threat with indeterminate risk," according to a public health specialist I spoke to this week. Flu viruses have a pretty horrific track record when it comes to pandemics. In the US, H5N1 is spreading through dairy cows, there have been 66 cases confirmed in people...

Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

... and a man has died. The US is stockpiling 10 million vaccines and developing new ones. But, given the virus's spread in farms, a national population of 340 mn, vaccine hesitancy, and global vaccine inequity, are we as prepared as we should be? www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/10/1...

technologyreview.comHow the US is preparing for a potential bird flu pandemicFive years on from the start of the covid pandemic, are we ready for a potential avian influenza outbreak?
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

Engineers can make computer models of your organs, and some doctors are already using them to decide which bits of people's hearts to burn off in surgery(!) Everything you wanted to know about digital twins (the health ones!) here: www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/19/1...

technologyreview.comDigital twins of human organs are here. They’re set to transform medical treatment.The models can be used to plan surgeries and in the future could be used to help trial new drugs.
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

Bird flu is still spreading in the US. The virus is in 675 cattle herds (that we know of), and is showing up in dairy produce. There are 55 reported cases in people so far. And we still don't even know how the virus is spreading. It's not looking great... www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/29/1...

technologyreview.comThe risk of a bird flu pandemic is risingHuman cases in the US are on the rise and the virus is turning up in cows and dairy products. Luckily, we have some vaccines ready to go if needed.
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

“It’s surprising to me that we are totally fine with … our pasteurized milk products containing viral DNA,” virologist Seema Lakdawala told me. “We don’t know how much virus we need to ingest [to become infected], and whether any is going to slip through pasteurization.”

Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

Fascinating piece by the brilliant @eileenguo.bsky.social about Clear, a company that is helping people in the US skip airport queues but wants to expand into other areas of daily life... in exchange for your face www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/20/1...

technologyreview.comInside Clear’s ambitions to manage your identity beyond the airportThe company that has helped millions of people cut security lines wants to give you a frictionless future—in exchange for your face.
Jess Hamzelou
@jesshamzelou.bsky.social

So I watched The Substance last week and feel pretty confident some of those images will be burned into my mind forever. It got me thinking about the impacts of problematic thinking about women. Especially the use of the term "women of childbearing age" www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/15/1... 🧪

technologyreview.comWhy the term “women of childbearing age” is problematicNew movie The Substance showcases how women are thought about in terms of youth and fertility. That idea makes for bad research and health guidance.

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