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
Psilocybin therapy appears to dramatically reduce depression
Psilocybin therapy — a combination of traditional therapy and supervised “trips” on the magic mushroom compound — shows promise as a depression treatment.
"Autoantibodies" may be causing COVID-19 blood clots
COVID-19 blood clots may be caused by autoantibodies, which attack the body’s own tissues and organs instead of intruders.
What’s going to happen with COVID-19 this winter?
There may be an increase in cases of COVID-19 this winter as people move indoors, but there are actions we can take to prevent it.
New nano drug may be able to break drug-resistant cancers — with fewer side effects
Drug-resistant cancers reduce the effectiveness of chemo. A team of researchers may have found a potential way to treat them.
German concert experiment suggests large indoor events can be safe
A German concert study has found that hygiene standards, mandatory masks, and ventilation may allow for indoor events.
Earwax gives doctors easy access to cortisol levels
The Trears device could make it easier for doctors to monitor cortisol levels by allowing patients to extract their own earwax samples for analysis.
Blood test for Alzheimer’s now available at doctors’ offices
For the first time, a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease has received approval to be used in doctors’ offices in the U.S.
Cough-analyzing AI detects asymptomatic COVID-19 infections
MIT has developed an AI that can detect asymptomatic COVID-19 infections from the sound of a person’s forced-cough with incredible accuracy.
Scientists test mind control with light — no surgery required
In a new breakthrough, scientists use optogenetics to manipulate brain cells in mice without surgery or brain implants.
Green space at daycare gives city kids an immune boost
Adding a green space to an urban daycare’s playground can boost a child immune system after just 28 days.
This parent is helping push autism gene therapy forward
Not too long ago, autism gene therapy was a pipe dream. Now, armed with specific targets and new methods, a small wave of gene therapies is gathering.
How to safely celebrate Halloween during COVID-19
People celebrated Halloween during the 1918 flu pandemic and you can still celebrate Halloween during COVID-19 — just maybe not the way you usually do.
Can flu vaccines prevent COVID-19?
Researchers suspect that flu shots could prevent coronavirus infections, giving people yet another reason to get vaccinated.
These gene-edited pigs could help end organ shortages
These gene-edited pigs have organs designed to be more compatible with the human body, bringing xenotransplantation one step closer to reality.
Are fecal transplants the fountain of youth?
Scientists hope that fecal transplants from younger to older people could be used to treat age-related cognitive decline.
Researchers have never seen the deep sea like this before
Researchers are putting lowlight 4k cameras on remotely operated vehicles to capture videos of deep sea bioluminescence.
A pandemic surveillance system for the planet
COVID-19 won’t be the last virus to threaten the global population, but new disease surveillance tech could catch the next outbreak before it even starts.
UK to launch first human challenge trial for COVID-19
The U.K. is funding a $44 million human challenge trial for COVID-19 during which healthy volunteers will be deliberately exposed to the coronavirus.
A microevolution is happening in humans right now
More humans are being born with a third arm artery, an example of microevolution happening right before our eyes.
A deadly virus emerged in South Africa in 2008. Then it vanished.
A deadly new virus killed a South African safari agent and three others, then disappeared without a trace. What can we learn from a unique outbreak?
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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