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 RNA editing catch up to CRISPR?
Developed in the 1980s, RNA editing was overshadowed by CRISPR. But the last few years have seen a resurgence of interest in the gene editing technique.
The race to get artificial blood into patients’ veins
Artificial blood could help address blood shortages while overcoming the limitations of donated blood, which has a relatively short shelf life.
Could a single injection send diabetes into remission?
Research has found that a single surgical injection of a protein into the brain can restore blood sugar levels and send diabetes into remission, for rodents. This could transform the lives of people living with diabetes.
This edible sensor can alert you of food contamination
A microneedle patch made of silk changes color if it senses food contamination or spoilage, making it easier to know when food’s gone bad.
New brain implant reads minds from inside a blood vessel
A first-of-its-kind neural interface called the Stentrode sits in a blood vessel in the brain, picking up signals it can wirelessly transmit to a computer.
Researchers found tiny COVID-19 antibodies in an alpaca
Inside an alpaca’s blood, researchers have found tiny antibodies — nanobodies — that may lead to future antiviral medications.
$25 genetic test can improve asthma treatment for kids
Before prescribing an asthma treatment to children, doctors should use a cheap genetic test to look for a specific altered gene, according to a new study.
Scientists use 40-year-old DNA to clone endangered horse
The first cloned Przewalski’s horse could inject the critically endangered species with a much-need dose of genetic diversity.
The world's first living machines
The world’s first living robots may one day clean up our oceans.
New ALS treatment appears to slow disease progression
A new ALS treatment that appears to slow disease progression offers hope to those battling the incurable neurological disorder.
Weird, synthetic intestinal lining could make treating diseases easier
A synthetic intestinal lining could make it easier for doctors to control drug delivery and nutrient absorption in patients.
FDA approves first artificial pancreas for young children
The FDA has approved a new artificial pancreas for children, making diabetes management easier for caretakers of diabetics as young as two.
What we know about COVID-19 reinfection so far
Researchers have reported four cases of COVID-19 reinfection, with patients recovering from the coronavirus and later testing positive for another strain.
“Extinct” New Guinea singing dog is found again, thanks to genetics
The New Guinea singing dog was considered extinct in the wild. But, new genetic evidence suggests otherwise.
Microdosing LSD may provide pain relief
Since the 1960s, LSD has been seen as a potential painkiller. Now, new research suggests microdosing LSD may indeed provide relief.
Robots are running COVID-19 drug development
IBM’s new online platform, RoboRXN, combines artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and robotics to automate the COVID-19 drug development process.
It's now easier to see individual atoms, thanks to new tech
With improved tech, two teams have sharpened cryo-electron microscopy to be able to see individual atoms.
A patient’s sex may affect their COVID-19 immune response
Key differences in the COVID-19 immune response of men and women could potentially explain a disparity in patient outcomes.
Influenza virus may be transmitted by particles in the air
Airborne particles like dust and dander not caused by breathing — “aerosolized fomites” — may be a route of influenza virus transmission.
Did life on Earth travel here from Mars?
Bacteria that survived on the outside of the ISS for three years suggests that panspermia is still a viable theory for the origin of life on Earth.
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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