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
The social distancing traffic light
Assessing your COVID-19 risk for everyday activities will be key to some kind of normalcy. Now, researchers want to add nuance to social distancing.
Elon Musk: Neuralink brain implant detects pigs' movements
During a livestream, CEO Elon Musk presented the latest Neuralink brain implant, as well as what he claimed were several pig recipients of the device.
Teens create website to combat social isolation in seniors
To help combat the problem of social isolation, three Texas teens created Big & Mini, a website that sets up video chats between seniors and younger people.
$5 COVID-19 test could be a game changer in the US
Abbott Laboratories’ $5 COVID-19 test has secured an FDA authorization, meaning the U.S. now has access to a fast, accurate antigen test.
Redesigned syringe could increase global access to medicine
A double-barrel syringe developed at MIT makes it possible to inject highly viscous biologics, making them more accessible to patients.
A health app could someday detect heart disease via selfies
Researchers in Beijing created a new deep learning algorithm, which claims to detect signs of heart disease in the human face.
“Antivitamins” could be the cure for antibiotic resistance
The B1 antivitamin helps bacteria kill competing bacteria, leading researchers to suspect it could help us fight antibiotic resistance and superbugs.
Why COVID-19 patients lose their sense of smell
Researchers have identified cells that are most susceptible to the novel coronavirus. They also support neurons associated with the sense of smell.
The murder hornet’s genome may help stop the invasion
The Asian giant hornet has invaded the Pacific Northwest. Researchers hope a map of the murder hornet’s genome can help their hunt for them.
How to radically biohack your mind
Brain-computer interfaces could enable humans to “merge with AI.”
Left-handed people are “left-out” of brain research
Left-handed people are systematically excluded from brain research, due to an archaic doctrine. These neuroscientists want that to change.
Scientists want to study your at-home psychedelic mushroom experiences
Scientists are looking for people planning to trip on psychedelic mushrooms for a new study focused on people’s “real-world” experiences with psilocybin.
Fecal transplant cures man whose gut made him drunk
A fecal transplant cured a man of auto-brewery syndrome, a rare condition in which the gut converts carbs into alcohol, making a person feel drunk.
Can the common cold help battle COVID-19?
The common cold can be caused by a coronavirus. New research suggests the immune response it causes may help protect against COVID-19.
Scientists grow mini human hearts from stem cells
Mini human hearts grown from stem cells, also known as “heart organoids,” could help doctors address the most common kind of birth defect in humans.
Study may explain why cancer gets more aggressive as we age
A molecule in the blood of older people promotes the spread of cancer, which could explain the link between age and metastatic cancer.
Using smartphone cameras to detect diabetes
A new algorithm can detect diabetes using data collected by a smartphone’s camera, offering a way to address the problem of undiagnosed diabetes.
Who should get the COVID-19 vaccine first?
The COVID-19 vaccine will likely be rationed. Who will be first on the list to receive it?
The material that could help humans become cyborgs
Coating implantable electronics in the polymer PEDOT can extend their life, which could make cyborgs more common in the future.
Can a wellness app really change someone’s life?
America has the highest per capita health spending in the world, and yet, worse population health outcomes than most other developed nations. This wellness app gets to the heart of the issue.
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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