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
First neuron-level map of a monkey brain revealed
The first neuron-level 3D image of an entire macaque monkey brain could have a major impact on the world of neuroscience.
Researchers have created a brain sensor swarm
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed an injectable swarm of nanosenors they hope will measure the brain noninvasively.
Pfizer has manufactured the first batch of Delta variant vaccines
Pharma giant Pfizer has already developed and manufactured ingredients for a COVID-19 vaccine targeting the highly contagious Delta variant.
Holograph tech “teleports” Olympic badminton competition
Japanese telecom company NTT is using holograph tech to recreate Olympic badminton matches at a venue 22 miles away in real time.
Helmet worn at home shrank man’s brain tumor by a third
A new brain tumor treatment shrank a man’s aggressive glioblastoma tumor by nearly a third — and all he had to do was wear a helmet at home.
Inside your nose, it’s bacteria vs. bacteria in the fight against meningitis
Researchers have found that nose drops containing “friendly” bacteria can protect people against meningitis-causing bacteria.
Adding one gene to rice and potatoes increased yields by 50%
The insertion of a gene found in animals prompted potato and rice plants to produce 50% more food and exhibit drought-resistant qualities.
Baby mice “dream” about the world before seeing it
Before the eyes of baby mice open, their brains appear to use retinal waves to prep their vision systems to detect objects and motion.
New antibodies may lead to a norovirus vaccine
Researchers have discovered antibodies that neutralize a variety of norovirus strains, a possible step toward an effective norovirus vaccine.
New treatment reverses age-related memory loss in mice
A treatment that reversed age-related memory loss in mice could one day treat or prevent such cognitive decline in older people.
Toyota’s autonomous shuttle is optimized for Olympians
Tokyo Olympians are riding around the Olympic Village in Toyota’s e-Palette, an autonomous shuttle designed with their needs in mind.
Harvard has a vaccine against septic shock
A new vaccine platform based on biomaterial may eventually provide rapid protection against multiple bacterial threats.
DeepMind releases massive protein structure database
DeepMind is releasing a massive database of protein structure predictions that includes all the molecules in the human proteome.
Olympic swimmers get speed boost from pool engineers
We already know that Olympic swimmers are fast, but Olympic swimming pools can be engineered to be “fast,” too.
This 3D-printed graft may improve ruptured eardrum surgery
Researchers at Harvard have developed a 3D-printed graft they hope will make ruptured eardrum surgeries safer, faster, and more effective.
New vaccines may use AI to hit a moving target
Can AI create vaccines that work against mutations that haven’t happened yet, groups of viruses, and virus too tricky to currently stop?
FDA approves first drug to treat lymphoma in dogs
The FDA has approved a medication specifically designed to treat lymphoma in dogs, potentially helping extend the lives of thousands of pets.
CRISPR used to create first gene-edited opossums
CRISPR technology has been used to create gene-edited opossums, a breakthrough that could have huge implications for medical research.
Lucky accident shows how immune system can beat MRSA without antibiotics
Researchers have accidentally found that blocking caspase enzymes can make mouse immune responses more robust.
Door-to-door vaccination campaign reaches the most vulnerable
An equitable door-to-door vaccination campaign might be just what it takes to help the U.S.’s most vulnerable communities fight COVID-19.
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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