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
Light pulses can stop dangerous food poisoning like Salmonella
A team at Penn State has developed a pulsed light technique capable of killing common food poisoning pathogens.
Synthetic cartilage is now stronger than the real stuff
Using a heating process, Duke researchers have created a synthetic cartilage hydrogel that can outperform the real thing.
Mouse embryos with beating hearts have been created entirely in the lab
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have developed mouse embryos, complete with organ structures, purely from stem cells.
Which microbes live in your gut? A microbiologist tries at-home test kits
A microbiologist looks at how home test kits work, what kind of information they provide and if they can really help change your gut.
You no longer need a prescription to buy hearing aids in the US
The FDA is making over-the-counter hearing aids available to Americans, potentially making the devices cheaper and more accessible.
AI has mapped all of the world’s known ant species
Using over a million data points and a machine learning algorithm, a team of researchers has mapped all of the ant species currently known.
Mathematicians suggest the “37% rule” for life’s biggest decisions
Mathematicians tell us that, to maximize the chances of the best outcome, we ought to ditch the first 37% of any options.
New kind of schizophrenia drug aces human trial
KarXT, a new schizophrenia treatment that addresses a wider range of symptoms than existing meds, has aced a phase 3 trial.
Eye implant made from pig skin reverses blindness in 14 people
Using collagen from pig skin, Swedish researchers created an artificial cornea that reversed blindness in 14 people.
Viruses may one day treat inflammatory bowel disease
Researchers have created a cocktail of viruses that may be able to treat inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s.
Nanoparticle sensor can distinguish between viral and bacterial pneumonia
MIT researchers have designed a sensor that can distinguish between viral and bacterial pneumonia infections.
Yale study finds low levels of a hormone may predict long COVID
Yale and Icahn School of Medicine researchers may have found biomarkers for identifying long COVID.
Cells become zombies when the ends of their chromosomes are damaged
Damage to the ends of the chromosomes can create “zombie cells” that are still alive but can’t function, researchers say.
Only human Lyme vaccine in development enters phase 3 trial
Pfizer and French biotech Valneva have announced a phase 3 clinical trial testing the human Lyme vaccine.
Half of all vaccines are wasted. A gel could save them.
A new hydrogel that wraps around heat-sensitive molecules could help prevent vaccine waste by keeping them viable at higher temperatures.
Transhumanism: Savior of humanity or false prophecy?
While many of the technologies upon which transhumanists base their dream are real and world-changing, they have major limitations.
Smartphones might actually be improving your memory
Rather than causing “digital dementia,” storing important information in a digital device can actually improve memory.
NASA is sending a robot surgeon to the ISS (Updated)
A MIRA surgical robot is heading to the ISS in 2024 so developers can test its potential to help astronauts survive medical emergencies.
What ever happened to the first cryogenically frozen humans?
For decades, people have arranged to freeze their bodies after death, dreaming of resurrection by advanced future medicine.
A new drug could repair stroke damage to memory and movement
A new drug can repair stroke damage in mice, improving memory and motor skills. If it works in humans, it could lead to a paradigm shift in stroke treatment.
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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