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
COVID’s unique challenge for the Navajo nation
With a lack of access to running water and other resources, the Navajo Nation faces a tough challenge in COVID-19. But the Diné are fighting back.
Newly discovered coronavirus antibody blocks infection in cell cultures
A newly discovered coronavirus antibody produced using mice was able to prevent SARS-CoV-2 from infecting cells in the lab.
CRISPR virus detection tool can test you for 169 viruses at once
A new virus detection tool can simultaneously test more than 1,000 patients for a virus — a capability that could prove invaluable during an outbreak.
CBD slows growth of brain cancer cells in a Petri dish
The cannabis compound CBD can slow the growth of brain cancer cells, but it’s a long way from a new cancer treatment.
Will the coronavirus end in the summer?
Will the coronavirus end in the summer as a result of warmer temperatures? The public is hopeful, but here’s what the experts say.
Researchers are rushing to freeze… lab mice sperm?
With their labs closing and the future unclear, researchers are sending precious cargo — the sperm of lab mice — to be frozen and stored.
A proposal to infect volunteers, the race to a vaccine, 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.
Reading your digital signature to detect depression, Parkinson’s
Digital phenotyping uses our smartphones to detect anything from Parkinson’s disease to mental health disorders.
New VR system uses strings to provide haptic feedback
Wireality is a new device that provides haptic feedback for someone using a VR system by pulling on their fingers and wrist with a series of strings.
Where can you get tested for the coronavirus?
Everything you need to know to get tested for the coronavirus, including COVID-19 testing requirements and resources to help you find testing sites.
Why the MLB antibody study matters
10,000 MLB employees, from players to concession stand attendees, are volunteering to help scientists study how COVID-19 has spread throughout the country.
Using Ebola to fight brain cancer
A lab-altered Ebola virus can hunt human brain cancer cells without killing healthy cells.
Every significant breakthrough that’s stemmed from the pandemic
A timeline of coronavirus solutions from the people on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19.
Brain implant restores sense of touch in man with paralysis
Researchers have used a brain implant to help a man with paralysis both move his arm again and regain a sense of touch.
Oxford coronavirus vaccine could be ready by September
Millions of doses of an Oxford coronavirus vaccine now in the human trial stage could be ready by September, according to researchers.
Twin study suggests genes factor into COVID-19 symptoms
Genetic factors may explain about 50% of the differences in people’s COVID-19 symptoms, according to a study of more than 2,600 twins in the U.K.
An “old school” COVID-19 vaccine appears to work in monkeys
An in-development COVID-19 vaccine has protected animals from catching the novel coronavirus for the first time, according to the team behind it.
Tons of groups are improvising coronavirus PPE. But who will test it?
A newly formed group is gathering designs for coronavirus PPE and coordinating with testers to make sure the makeshift supplies are safe for use.
DNA might be able to explain varying coronavirus symptoms
Scientists are looking for genetic factors that could explain varying coronavirus symptoms amongst seemingly similar COVID-19 patients.
This pen makes hand washing fun for kids
SoaPen makes hand washing much less of a hassle, and it could have an enormous impact in helping prevent future pandemics.
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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