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
Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls may be in animal DNA
Scholars’ understanding of the Dead Sea Scrolls may be enhanced by an unusual source: the DNA of the animals they’re printed on.
Does a positive antibody test mean i’m immune? it depends.
As the conversation shifts from tracking and diagnosing COVID-19 to reopening society, people are now focused on antibody tests. But experts warn that an antibody screen may supply a false peace of mind.
How to stop COVID-19's killer cytokine storm
COVID-19 can cause a potentially lethal cytokine storm, a runaway immune system response. Researchers are studying drugs they hope can calm the storm.
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Catalysts
Online eye exams will change the way we buy glasses
The FDA recently lifted restrictions against an online eye exam provider to help optometrists reach their patients during the pandemic. Will vision care go virtual for good?
How does the coronavirus spread? Expert consensus builds
Scientists are beginning to come to a consensus on coronavirus transmission.
Gene therapy hailed as cure for sickle cell disease
A gene therapy that uses CRISPR to edit a patient’s own stem cells looks like a “functional” cure for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia.
The first life-saving coronavirus drug is a common steroid
A large clinical trial in the U.K. identified the cheap, widely available steroid dexamethasone as potentially the first life-saving coronavirus drug.
“Pussypedia” demystifies the female anatomy
“Pussypedia” is a free, bilingual, gender-inclusive encyclopedia of highly accurate, easy-to-understand women’s health resources.
Street medics tend to protesters in the midst of a pandemic
Across the U.S., groups of volunteer street medics are dispensing medical care to police brutality protestors in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
How to keep hospitals safe with a pandemic still raging
This coronavirus screening app is helping 25,000 hospital employees get to work faster and safer.
How will businesses keep employees safe during COVID-19?
Lockdowns are ending but the coronavirus pandemic isn’t over, so what can businesses do to keep employees safe during COVID-19?
Embryo model unlocks “black box” of human development
This ethical model of a human embryo provides a look at a never-before-studied stage of embryonic development: gastrulation.
MDMA has long-lasting benefits as a PTSD treatment
The benefits of MDMA therapy as a PTSD treatment appear to last for at least a year, according to a newly published paper.
We’re one step closer to a bionic, prosthetic eye
A prosthetic eye may soon be possible, thanks to new research that demonstrates how to stimulate the brain to “see.”
Can an app help you have better sex?
An app created by a sex therapist is helping couples learn how to have better sex by exploring their own desires and discovering their partner’s.
How organoids are helping scientists fight the coronavirus
Researchers are turning to organoids — lab-grown clumps of cells that mimic human organs — in an effort to better understand the coronavirus.
Psilocybin may impact your ego center
You’ve heard about “ego death” on magic mushrooms. New research suggests psilocybin curbs part of the brain that may tie in to ego.
New 3D bioprinting method uses light to grow ears in mice
A new 3D bioprinting technique uses near-infrared light to trigger a bioink to form shapes, even when placed under the skin of mice.
Fully see-through face mask ready for mass production
The HelloMask is a fully see-through face mask made of a breathable material that offers the same protection as a standard surgical mask.
Are handshakes gone for good?
The spread of COVID-19 has turned an age-old gesture into a faux pas. As more people are wary of spreading germs, handshakes are becoming less of a cultural norm, but are they gone for good?
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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