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
New brain-computer interface turns mental handwriting into text
A new brain-computer interface translated a paralyzed man’s “mental handwriting” into text on a computer screen.
How a smartphone app is helping suppress HIV
An HIV app that uses gaming elements to motivate people to stick to their ART regimen was able to increase viral suppression in a small study.
3D-printed nose cartilage may someday fix your face
Researchers have developed a way to bioprint nose cartilage that they hope will one day minimize the need for invasive harvesting from the ribs.
How will movie theaters survive post-pandemic?
Chicago musician Chance the Rapper is releasing his new concert film, “Magnificent Coloring World,” exclusively through AMC Theatres.
"Octopus vision" may help prevent human blindness
A new medical device that gives optometrists a fast, easy way to monitor a key macular degeneration risk factor was inspired by octopus vision.
New blood test could predict the onset of labor
Stanford University researchers have identified blood-based biomarkers that can be used to predict the onset of labor in pregnant women.
Icy microneedle patch delivers cell therapy, then melts
A new microneedle patch features needles made of ice instead of traditional materials, making it suitable for cell therapy delivery.
These plants have been genetically modifying themselves for decades
New evidence shows that plants have been genetically modifying themselves for decades in a process called lateral gene transfer.
Four types of Alzheimer’s discovered in international study
A study has identified four distinct types of Alzheimer’s disease, based on how the tau protein spreads in patients’ brains.
This spit test will help couples know their baby's risk of genetic disease
A new genetic test offers prospective parents a “polygenetic risk score,” or an estimate of their potential offspring’s predisposition to certain conditions.
Desiging a better condom
Around the world, new materials and approaches are being studied as researchers look to create the condom 2.0.
Customized stem cells could show us how dementia happens
By turning human cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, researchers hope to finally map the genetic path to Alzheimer’s disease.
Pfizer is testing a coronavirus antiviral
Pfizer is testing a new coronavirus antiviral that has stopped SARs-CoV-2 from replicating in the lab in humans.
These brain-sensing headphones could help you focus
Boston startup Neurable is now accepting preorders for Enten, brain-sensing headphones that use EEG data to help users’ maximize their focus.
Phase 2 trial finds psychedelic works as well as common drug
A small study has provided evidence of psilocybin for depression working as well as a popular SSRI.
App can detect early sign of autism in toddlers
A Duke University smartphone app that can detect an early sign of autism in toddlers could one day make diagnosing autism in young children far easier.
Fireside Project is a support line for your bad trip
Fireside Project is a nonprofit that is providing a support line for your challenging psychedelic experiences — read: bad trip.
Neuroscientists are making "bug brain soup"
A novel method for counting neurons that involves mashing insects’ brains into a “soup” has led to several new discoveries about bugs.
"Complex" and "exciting": Researchers study the use of CBD for pain
In a small study, researchers at Syracuse found that both thinking you’re getting CBD for pain and the drug increase pain tolerance.
Would you spray this DIY COVID-19 vaccine up your nose?
Makers of a DIY COVID-19 vaccine are talking to governments about launching human challenge trials to quickly and cheaply find out if the vaccine is effective.
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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