Biotech
Human history has been all but defined by death and disease, plague and pandemic. Advancements in 20th century medicine changed all of that. Now advancements in 21st century medicine promise to go even further. Could we bring about an end to disease? Reverse aging? Give hearing to the deaf and sight to the blind? The answer may be yes. And soon.
Featured
The next era of psychedelics may be precision-designed states of consciousness
A look inside Mindstate Design Labs’ effort to design drugs that reliably produce specific states of consciousness.
What is The Great Progression: 2025 to 2050?
We have a historic opportunity to harness AI and other transformative technologies in order to make a much better world in the next 25 years.
Progress happens because solutions create new problems to solve
Solutionism means fully accepting what’s in front of us and enthusiastically stepping up to meet the challenge.
Psychedelics & Mental Health
How to reclaim meaning in a changing world
What if the barrier to a fulfilled life isn’t technology, it’s culture?
The exciting research that may cure Parkinson’s
GeneCode is developing a drug it hopes won’t just alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms but also protect and restore patient’s neural health.
Biohacking
We’re able to create new creatures through gene editing. What’s stopping us?
The question isn’t whether we can sculpt new life. The question is what comes next.
Boosted Breeding and beyond: 3 tech trends that could end world hunger
A world without hunger is possible, and the development and deployment of new farming technologies could be one key to manifesting it.
New AI generates CRISPR proteins unlike any seen in nature
An AI that generates CRISPR proteins is opening the door to gene editors with capabilities beyond what we’ve found in nature.
Ray Kurzweil explains how AI makes radical life extension possible
Life expectancy gains in developed countries have slowed in recent decades, but AI may be poised to transform medicine as we know it.
Vaccines
Personalized cancer vaccines are having a moment
Personalized cancer vaccines were a recurring theme at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in 2024.
The threat of avian flu — and what we can do to stop it
Avian flu is infecting cows on US dairy farms, and now a person has caught it — but new research could help us avoid a bird flu pandemic.
One shot recreates younger immune systems, in mice
An antibody treatment designed to revitalize an aging immune system delivers “surprising” results in elderly mice.
More
Can cognitive behavioral therapy break the cycle of violence?
CBT is a promising way to reduce violence, so why has it been so hard to scale?
Civilian oversight is a solution to police misconduct. But is it effective?
Creating a civilian review board to oversee police conduct seems like a straightforward solution to disciplinary…
Do we need more police or better police?
American cities are safer than they used to be, but they’re still quite violent, and many economists think they’re…
This fearless principal used UFC & skateboards to save a failing school
How one relentless, unconventional principal rallied an underdog school.
Why drugs are hurting more people than ever – and what to do about it
Is the solution to dangerous drugs… making them safer?
Science funding is wasting young careers. Here's how to fix it.
Basic science funding is a mess. Fixing it could radically improve the pace of innovation.
How a smartphone can detect a deadly disease, without a lab, for free
This app tests for anemia, and it’s nearly as good as the gold-standard lab test.
Hacking the brain's comms network – without surgery
When nerve cells in the brain communicate, they create tiny electric fields that can be sensed – and sometimes…
An app to help prevent suicide
Meet the teens who built the notOK App: a “panic button” for people who need help.
A tumor-killing virus could treat eye cancer and save children's sight
The only treatment for retinoblastoma is surgical removal of the eye—but scientists may have found another way:…
The plan to wipe out mosquitoes using genetic engineering
The world’s richest and poorest people are teaming up against humanity’s deadliest predator.
Training the body to fight off drug-resistant bacteria
A new strategy, called host-targeted defense, could help solve antibiotic resistance by upgrading the immune system.
Why cancer patients should get genetic sequencing
Genomic sequencing saved his live. Now he wants everyone to have access.
Finding a new drug in one-third the time and one-thousandth the cost
How a pediatric cancer drug went from discovery to clinical trials in five years and just $500,000.
Living drugs may be the key to beating genetic disease
Engineering bacteria in the microbiome could fix previously untreatable genetic disorders.
Making tumors glow to improve cancer surgery
This surgeon is improving surgery by lighting up cancer cells.
What is cystic fibrosis—and what is it like?
What you need to know about this genetic disease, explained by someone who knows it inside and out.
How redesigning labs can demystify genetic science
“Scientists work in high-security buildings that are banned to the public and then wonder why they are misunderstood.”
Special Collection
Collection
The Science of Death
Explore the journey from life to death and beyond. Near-death experiences, death doulas, digital immortality, and more – join us for a thoughtful exploration of one life’s most intriguing and inevitable phenomena with stories from the frontlines of death.
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