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
One shot epilepsy treatment reduced seizures by 95% in first two patients
A stem cell-based treatment for epilepsy slashed the number of seizures experienced by two trial participants by 95%.
Viewing abstract art causes notable cognitive changes
Abstract art causes the viewer to place more psychological distance between themselves and the art than with more typical works.
CRISPR’d plant is resistant to the “cancer of rice”
CRISPR’d plants resistant to the devastating fungal disease rice blast could help shore up the world’s food supply.
Can India’s drains help us prevent the next pandemic?
Imagine a real-time warning system for global pandemics. Wastewater surveillance may be able to do just that. Here’s how.
Plants perform quantum mechanics feats that scientists can only do at ultra-cold temperatures
There may be a link between quantum mechanics and photosynthesis explaining why plants are so effective at converting light to food.
“Spooky” quantum biology might cause your DNA to mutate
Research suggests that quantum effects could drive mutations in human DNA — the latest development in the emerging field of quantum biology.
Could switching off a neural “death response” slow aging?
A sensory mechanism that governs how quickly flies age may also have a corollary in people.
Insulin grown in lettuce can be taken orally
New synthetic insulin harvested from lettuce plants can be made cheaply, taken orally, and transported at room temperature.
Neuralink’s monkey can play Pong with its mind. Elon Musk says human trials are next.
If Neuralink’s monkey can play Pong with its mind, imagine what humans could do with the same technology in just a few years.
Generate brilliant ideas by relaxing your cognitive filters
Theoretical physicist Leonard Mlodinow offers three strategies for relaxing your cognitive filters to give your brilliant ideas time to shine.
Cancer med appears to prevent brain aneurysms
Japanese researchers have discovered that the cancer drug sunitinib can prevent the formation of brain aneurysms in mice.
SpaceX successfully launches world’s first “space factory”
SpaceX has successfully deployed a “space factory” developed by startup Varda Space Industries to manufacture drugs in microgravity.
How intestinal viruses could help you live to be 100
People who live past age 100 have a greater diversity of bacteriophages (that is, viruses that infect bacteria) in their intestines.
Model human embryo, created from stem cells, survives past two weeks
A model human embryo capable of developing past day 14 could revolutionize our understanding of human development.
Cheap drug appears to cut long COVID risk by 41% in small study
The diabetes drug metformin cut COVID-19 patients’ risk of later developing long COVID by 41% in a small study.
Taurine appears to reverse aging in animals. Can it do the same for us?
Animals given taurine lived longer, healthier lives, suggesting that the compound may also increase human longevity.
New “AI doctor” predicts risk of death with 85% accuracy
A new AI was able to make accurate predictions about patients’ risk of death, readmittance, and more by analyzing medical notes.
Have we got the brain all wrong? Study shows its shape is more important than its wiring
Neural activity may be more influenced by the shape of the brain – its grooves, contours, and folds – than by its complex interconnections.
Flexible brain implant tested in people for the first time
Startup Precision Neuroscience has tested its flexible, ultra-thin brain implants in people for the first time.
90% of patients respond to new blood cancer treatment in trial
Israeli researchers have developed a new form of CAR-T therapy effective against multiple myeloma, a plasma cell cancer.
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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