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
Are microplastics really destroying our health?
Scientists still don’t know how microplastics impact human health, but they do have ideas for stopping their spread.
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.
This $400 genetic test could save your life
Nucleus Genomics’ new whole genome sequencing and analysis service promises to reveal the secrets hidden in your DNA.
Psychedelics & Mental Health
AI chatbots may ease the world’s loneliness (if they don’t make it worse)
AI chatbots may have certain advantages when roleplaying as our friends. They may also come with downsides that make our loneliness worse.
Beyond screen time: Rethinking kids’ tech use with the “Goldilocks hypothesis”
The “Goldilocks hypothesis” asks parents to think beyond screen time and consider the habits that teens build around technology use.
Potato chips or heroin? The debate on social media and mental health
Experts disagree on whether social media causes mental health issues in adolescents despite looking at the same data. Here’s why.
Biohacking
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.
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.
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.
One shot recreates younger immune systems, in mice
An antibody treatment designed to revitalize an aging immune system delivers “surprising” results in elderly mice.
A protein found in human sweat may protect against Lyme disease
Human sweat contains a protein that may protect against Lyme disease, according to a study from MIT and the University of Helsinki.
More
This week in ideas: Building a cheaper MRI, reconciling God and AI, and the next Einstein
Rethinking the MRI machine, how will Christianity handle advanced tech, and is this 7-year-old the next Einstein?
This week in ideas: Embryonic people-pigs, the glories of the Hubble Telescope, and American cyber-security
A step toward human organs in animal embryos, the Hubble Telescope was a game changer, and Americans aren’t doing…
This week in ideas: How to form good habits, the case against empathy, and a miracle cure derailed
From how to make good habits (and keep them) to a crisis at the NIH, it’s a new edition of our week in ideas.
This week in ideas: Fighting addiction with implants, using VR to educate, Amazon Prime gets primer
An arm implant to treat opioid addiction, teaching hair stylists with VR, and a potential Amazon Prime game changer.
What we need right now is a little bit of Hans Rosling
The Swedish public health researcher says that, contrary to most of what you hear, the world is actually moving in…
This week in ideas: A $1 microscope, healing our divisions, Planet Earth is back
Democratizing microscopes, how we heal our political divisions, and BBC’s Planet Earth returns. These are our…
This week in ideas: An artificial pancreas, Google's new translation tech, and a massive Mars rocket
An incredible medical breakthrough, Google ups the ante, and the SpaceX Mars rocket. These are our favorite stories…
Series|
Superhuman
Gaining independence with the world's most advanced prosthetic arm
Jerral was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq and left paralyzed. Now he’s partnering with researchers to regain his independence. »
A regulatory fight is brewing over experimental stem cell therapies
New proposed regulations from the FDA would effectively shut down private stem cell clinics in the U.S.
The future of sports and human performance
Unpacking the science behind human performance with The Sports Gene author David Epstein
The experimental procedure that can reverse blindness
Doctors told Vanna she was permanently blind. But thanks to an experimental procedure, she can see.
Series|
Superhuman
Reversing blindness
Vanna was legally blind. Now she can see. Hear her inspiring story and meet the amazing doctors who gave her back her sight.
Could your brain regenerate like skin?
Brain regeneration used to be considered a medical fantasy. But research shows that fantasy could eventually become…
A lay person's guide to biohacking
We’re living in a golden age of people exploring high and low tech methods to optimize our bodies.
How to rebuild a broken brain
The unbelievable story of the day Jordan Riley was declared brain dead and his journey of re-learning how to be human.
Conor Russomanno on exploring our limits
Could linking our brains to computers allow the mind to control the world outside of our bodies?
The 3D-printed helmet that can read your mind. Could it change the world?
OpenBCI has developed technology that allows you to control the world outside your body with your brain waves.
Series|
Superhuman
Open sourcing the brain
Open BCI has developed a 3D-printed headset that allows your brain to interact with computers in amazing ways.
Karen Aiach on doing the impossible
When Karen Aiach decided to quit her finance job in 2005 in order to find a cure for the rare genetic disease that…
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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