Doctors think AI has a place in healthcare – but maybe not as a chatbot
OpenAI and Anthropic have each launched healthcare-focused products over the last week.
Health
Google pulls AI overviews for some medical searches
Earlier this month, The Guardian published an investigation that showed Google was serving up misleading and outright false information via its AI overviews in response to certain medical inquiries. Now those results appear to have been removed. According to the original report: In one case that experts described as “really dangerous”, Google wrongly advised people […]
CES 2026 was awash in bodily fluids
This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent every Friday from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest phones, smartwatches, apps, and other gizmos that swear they’re going to change your life. Optimizer arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 10AM ET. Opt in for Optimizer here. At CES 2026 this week, people […]
The weirdest tech we’ve seen at CES 2026
There’s never a shortage of exciting and innovative tech at CES. A superthin TV and tri-folding phone are cool and all, but sometimes the weirdest gadgets are the ones that make us go “huh.” Luckily, there was plenty of wacky stuff on the show floor this year, and we’ve rounded up some of the most […]
You can now use Abbott’s OTC glucose monitors with Withings
Withings isn’t done with CES 2026 announcements just yet. The French health tech company just announced a new partnership with Abbott. In the first quarter of the year, Abbott Lingo users will be able to view their glucose data within the Withings app. Lingo is Abbott’s over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for nondiabetic people. Withings […]
You can now take testosterone tests with a stick, your phone, and some spit
At last year’s CES, Eli Health announced the Hormometer – an at-home hormone test for cortisol that utilized saliva and a smartphone. For this year’s show, the company is back and expanding into testosterone and progesterone. Eli Health isn’t changing up how its Hormometer works. You still stick a thin cartridge attached to a wand […]
The Vivoo FlowPad turns menstrual pads into an at-home hormone test
Wellness tech companies are increasingly interested in bodily fluids like blood, urine, sweat, and saliva. At CES 2026, it’s time to add menstrual blood to that list, too. Health tech startup Vivoo just announced the FlowPad, a roughly $4 to $5 menstrual pad that doubles as an at-home hormone test for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Users […]
This smart mirror was a menace at CES 2026
Imagine walking into CES 2026, sitting down in front of a smart mirror, taking a 30-second selfie, and getting a score for how well you’re aging. Well, last night, a bunch of other tech journalists did just that. I witnessed some journalists take critical damage to their self-esteem. Others wiped their brow in relief. Yours […]
This egg-shaped gadget aims to demystify hormones… with pee
Your urine can tell you a lot about your reproductive health hormones. Unfortunately, at-home testing can be cumbersome, involving collecting samples that are then mailed out to labs. That’s what health startup Mira is trying to simplify with its $249 Ultra4 Hormone Monitor. The pitch is to make highly accurate, readily available hormone testing for […]
Withings thinks of its latest smart scale as a ‘longevity station’
Withings is back at CES 2026 with another smart scale: the $599.95 Body Scan 2. This time, it’s got an even tighter focus on cardiovascular and metabolic health. The Body Scan 2 contains eight electrodes on the scale itself, as well as an additional four electrodes within a retractable handle. This is similar to the […]