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
Can CRISPR keep the beer flowing?
Researchers are turning to CRISPR to create barley better able to remain dormant in climate change — while being still ready to make beer.
This engineer fixed his own heart
When Tal Golesworthy was told he was at risk of his aorta bursting, he wasn’t impressed with the surgery on offer – so he came up with his own idea.
How a BBQ lighter can make DNA vaccines more powerful
Georgia Tech researchers turned a BBQ lighter into a delivery system that uses electricity to boost the potency of DNA vaccines.
Vaccine robot administers doses without needles or human help
Canadian startup Cobioni has built a vaccine robot that can deliver a dose into a patient’s arm without a needle or any human help.
Second patient clears own body of HIV, hinting cure is possible
Two “elite controllers” that no longer have any replicable HIV virus in their bodies may hold the key to a cure for HIV.
“Dancing” molecules repair spinal cord injuries in paralyzed mice
A treatment for spinal cord injuries was able to reverse paralysis in mice by “dancing” to connect with cells near the site of the injury.
10 surprising things we’ve learned about death
Modern science has demystified death by divulging its biological processes, but many questions remain.
Survival genes from the world’s harshest desert environment could save our crops
Researchers have discovered genes linked to plant survival in Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the world’s harshest desert environments.
Psilocybin treatment relieves depression in largest trial yet
The largest psilocybin treatment trial to date suggests that the psychedelic drug can help people with treatment-resistant depression.
Deal brings COVID-19 vaccines into conflict zones
The U.S. has brokered a deal between Johnson & Johnson and the COVAX initiative to get COVID-19 vaccines to people in conflict zones.
DeepMind’s AI lights path to faster drug development
Alphabet has announced the launch of Isomorphic Labs, an AI-driven drug discovery company built on research from its DeepMind subsidiary.
Just $50 can turn your phone into a powerful chemical, pathogen detector
If this becomes a common feature of smartphones, it could someday allow anyone to identify pathogens and detect impurities in food.
Can testicular tissue restore childhood cancer survivors’ fertility?
A procedure that used frozen testicular tissue to restore fertility in animals could soon do the same for childhood cancer survivors.
Pfizer’s antiviral pill cuts COVID-19 hospitalization, death by 89%
Pfizer’s antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89%, according to early results from a phase 2/3 trial.
Scientists relieve depression with magnetic brain stimulation
Researchers at Stanford University believe they’ve developed an effective and quick-acting technique to treat challenging cases of depression — using magnetic brain stimulation.
Tissue implant extends lives of children born with athymia
A treatment that could dramatically extend the lives of children born with the rare condition athymia has been approved by the FDA.
Rhode Island will be the first state to open safe drug consumption sites
In an important test of drug harm reduction techniques, Rhode Island is set to become the first state to open safe consumption sites.
A new clue in why oral vaccines don’t work as well in developing countries
Oral vaccines are crucial to public health, but work worse where they are needed most. A new mouse study has a potential reason why.
A brain implant lets a blind person see again — without using their eyes
A former science teacher who had been blind for 16 years received a brain implant that allowed her to see shapes again.
Rwanda is blasting killer mosquitoes with drones
Rwanda is deploying drones to target mosquito larvae — spraying anti-mosquito insecticides in areas where the frequency of mosquito-borne illness remains high.
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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