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
Rancid food smells and tastes gross − AI tools may help scientists prevent that spoilage
A group of chemists are using artificial intelligence to extend the life of food products, by teaching AI models about rancidity.
What BMI can’t tell us about our health
Body mass index (BMI) continues to be the go-to tool for medical doctors and population researchers despite saying little about our health.
“Hydrogel” drugs could suppress HIV with minimal treatments
An injectable solution that self-assembles into a hydrogel to deliver 6 weeks of anti-ARV drugs could make managing HIV less of a burden.
AI diagnoses brain tumors in 90 minutes or less
A new AI that can identify the type of brain tumor a patient has while surgeons are removing it could lead to better outcomes.
This bionic hand is fused to a woman’s bones, muscles, and nerves
A new way of merging the body with a bionic hand provided a woman with more control over her prosthetic and less phantom limb pain.
New weight loss drug acts like an “exercise pill”
A new candidate weight loss drug called SLU-PP-332 was found to boost muscular and aerobic endurance in mice.
New brain implant for depression tested in people for the first time
A tiny brain implant designed for at-home neurostimulation has been demonstrated in people for the first time.
“The twin boom”: why twinning is on the rise
Since the 1970s, the rate that twins are born has doubled in most developed countries. What caused this and is it going to change soon?
Exercise scientist explains what your daily step goal should be by your weight
Tracking daily step counts can be a useful tool for weight management, but only if you tailor it to your own body weight.
New research on deep brain stimulation shows biomarkers could help depression treatment
Deep brain stimulation can alleviate treatment-resistant depression for some patients, and could help doctors measure outcomes.
Why aren’t we moving faster on malaria vaccines?
COVID-19 shots were rolled out within weeks of approval. The malaria jab is being delayed until mid-2024. Why?
What the science really says about vitamin D deficiency
When is low vitamin D a potential concern? And when might you need to get your levels tested? Here’s what the evidence says.
Why this startup is creating edible oil from sawdust
ÄIO’s main goal is to replace palm oil with oil upcycled from low-value industry organics in order to prevent further deforestation.
MIT study shows AI conversations are more positive if users think AI is empathetic, negative if they think it’s nefarious
Study shows users can be primed to believe certain things about an AI chatbot’s motives, which influences their interactions with it.
Stanford plans to put a 3D-printed human heart in a pig by 2028
Using 3D bioprinting, scientists are trying to construct perfect replacements for damaged organs, bones, and tissues.
Ever wonder how your body turns food into fuel? We tracked atoms to find out
New research offers new way to understand our metabolism in unprecedented detail, identifying four distinct phases of the process.
Monkey lives with CRISPR’d pig kidney for over two years
A monkey that survived for 758 days with a kidney from a gene-edited pig is a major step forward for xenotransplantation research.
CRISPR protects 9 out of 10 chickens from bird flu
UK scientists have used CRISPR to create gene-edited chickens that are highly resistant to the avian flu virus.
What does the evidence say about omega-3 fats for heart disease, dementia, and arthritis?
Are fish oil supplements as good for preventing heart disease, dementia, and other health conditions as we think? Or is eating fish better?
New superbug vaccine turns the immune system into “the Hulk”
A superbug vaccine that temporarily puts the immune system on high alert could reduce the number of hospital-associated infections.
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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