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
MIT’s vaccine-enhanced CAR-T cell therapy destroys solid tumors
Adding a cancer vaccine to CAR-T cell therapy, a revolutionary treatment for blood cancers, boosts its efficacy against solid tumors.
Quantum biology: Your nose and house plants are experts at particle physics
Quantum processes, normally associated with the very small or very cold, have been found to occur in biological systems. This was unexpected.
“Zombie” cells are the key to a tiny sea creature’s full-body regeneration
A tiny sea creature’s regenerative abilities add to the growing evidence that senescent cells aren’t always detrimental.
One shot of the klotho protein boosted memory in old monkeys
A single shot of klotho, a protein linked to longevity, improved the working memory of older rhesus macaques.
Can we train our taste buds for health?
Reformulating foods tailored to the plasticity of our taste buds could be a practical and powerful tool to promote health.
First CRISPR-like system discovered in animals
A CRISPR-like gene-editing system found in animals and other complex organisms has been used to edit human cells for the first time.
New meningitis vaccine is the first to cover new emerging strain
A new meningitis vaccine that protects against five bacterial strains outperformed an existing shot in a phase 3 trial.
Newly identified type of depression affects 27% of patients
Stanford University researchers have identified a new, hard-to-treat type of depression characterized by problems with cognition.
AI-developed drug for deadly lung disease reaches phase 2 trials
AI-driven drug development has led to the launch of phase 2 trials of a drug to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Sooner or later we all face death. Will a sense of meaning help us?
An awareness of our mortality can, paradoxically, move us to seek – and, if necessary, create – the meaning that we so desperately crave.
These shopping carts can tell if you have a common heart condition
A UK study found that ECG sensors placed in shopping cart handles can be used to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib).
Cryogenically frozen organs successfully transplanted into rats for the first time
Thanks to a new “nanowarming” technique, scientists have successfully transplanted cryogenically frozen organs into rats for the first time.
New AI-based theory explains your weird dreams
A new paper suggests that dreaming helps us generalize our experiences so that we can adapt to new circumstances.
“Backdoor” into the ear offers new hope for reversing deafness
A new study has unlocked a “backdoor” into the inner ear that could make administering gene therapies to restore hearing less risky.
Certain diets can starve cancer cells
Low-calorie, intermittent-fasting, and ketogenic diets all can lower the amount of blood glucose available to fuel cancer cells.
A simple tweak could improve treatment of a deadly herpes brain infection
Anti-inflammatory drugs could potentially prevent herpes encephalitis from causing permanent brain damage.
New obesity drug cut weight by 58 pounds in trial, making it the most effective yet
Eli Lilly announced results from a phase 2 clinical trial of the newest entrant in the obesity treatment space.
Nasal drops might prevent PTSD
New research shows that nasal drops of neuropeptide Y triggers extinction of fear memories in an animal model of PTSD.
There’s now a wearable that can track your stress hormones
A wearable device called U-RHYTHM makes it easy for researchers to see how stress hormones ebb and flow over 24 hours.
Eastern philosophy says there is no “self.” Science agrees
Neuroscience aligns with Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism, that argue the self is an illusion, a byproduct of our thought processes.
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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