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 rise of virtual therapy
In a time when the need is great and the future is unknown, virtual mental health services like BetterHelp are bringing relief and hope.
Prosthetic leg uses AI to adjust to different terrains
A new computer vision system developed to work with a prosthetic leg predicts the type of terrain ahead so that the limb can adjust accordingly.
How GMO zebrafish could inspire new infertility treatments
By genetically modifying zebrafish, researchers have discovered a sex hormone that could lead to future infertility treatments for humans.
New app lets sports fans cheer (or jeer) athletes remotely
Yamaha’s “Remote Cheerer” system lets sports fans stuck at home during the pandemic use an app to make noise at live sports facilities.
A new electric face mask kills the coronavirus
A new electric face mask prototype uses heat to kill the coronavirus. Another model generates an electric field that hinders its ability to infect cells.
This ultrasound connects to an iPhone to help catch COVID-19
Ultrasound can be a useful diagnostic tool for COVID-19. A portable ultrasound machine called the Butterfly iQ may make it safer.
Is it safe to hang out with friends now?
As more states ease up on lockdown restrictions, many of us are asking: is it safe to hang out with friends now? Here’s everything you need to know.
“Off-switch” in mouse brains offers new hope for pain relief
A newly discovered part of the mouse brain appears to naturally stop pain processing, and it could lead to more robust pain relief options in the future.
Children and seniors to join Oxford’s coronavirus vaccine trial
Oxford University is enrolling people older than 70 and children between the ages of 5 and 12 in a Phase 2 coronavirus vaccine trial.
The pandemic time capsule
The novel coronavirus has changed life as we know it. Submit your story to a pandemic time capsule to help mark history.
Relaunching the NBA, repairing medical devices, and more COVID-19 updates
In our weekly news roundup, we take you inside the fight against COVID-19 to explore the solutions on the frontlines of an unprecedented global response.
Bats are not the enemy
Researchers are developing options from the domestic to the deific to allow humans and bats to live together in…
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Biohackers
DIY biohacking: Do(n’t) try this at home
Dr. Josiah Zayner believes scientists are dragging their feet on realizing CRISPR’s potential, so his do-it-yourself CRISPR kit allows people to experiment with gene editing at home.
The road to reopening, according to a Nobel Prize winner
In this episode of the Freethink Progress Report, we attempt to answer a question on all of our minds: what will it take for routines to return to normal in the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns?
Virus-repellent coating could help end the PPE shortage
Researchers have created a virus-repellent coating for fabric that could help end the PPE shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Human challenge trials, schools reopening, and more COVID-19 updates
In our weekly news roundup, we take you inside the fight against COVID-19 to explore the solutions on the frontlines of an unprecedented global response.
Genetically engineering the first hypoallergenic cat
Scientists are attempting to create the world’s first truly hypoallergenic cat by deleting the feline gene that causes cat allergies.
Eating out during the coronavirus looks a little different now
Restaurant owners are looking for — and finding — creative ways to convince patrons that eating out during the coronavirus can be safe.
Facing the fear of death in virtual reality
With a virtual reality death simulator, this immersive experience helps people address the uncomfortable subject of mortality and face their fear of dying.
A coronavirus-detecting face mask could arrive this summer
Researchers from MIT and Harvard are developing a coronavirus-detecting face mask that gives off a fluorescent signal when it senses the virus.
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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