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
Contact-tracing apps could help end coronavirus lockdown
A new University of Oxford study found that contact-tracing apps could help bring the coronavirus pandemic to an end without violating citizens’ rights.
Your new sex ed teacher is a chatbot
This chatbot is filling in gaps in sex education by talking with teens to answer awkward questions about topics like health, sexuality, and identity.
Bill Gates is spending billions to produce 7 coronavirus vaccines
The Gates Foundation is building factories to manufacture seven promising coronavirus vaccines to prepare for mass production if any prove effective.
Group coronavirus testing helps make most of limited kits
Researchers across the globe are testing the efficacy of group coronavirus testing — using one kit for multiple patients — with promising results.
Can green light therapy cure chronic pain?
Scientists are finding that exposure to the color green, also known as green light therapy, could provide natural chronic pain relief.
New tool seeks to protect those reusing coronavirus masks
A group of researchers launched a website that teaches healthcare workers everything they need to know about reusing coronavirus masks as safely as possible.
Genetic evidence debunks coronavirus conspiracy theories, scientists say
A team of researchers analyzed the COVID-19 coronavirus. Their findings debunk the conspiracy theory that the virus was lab-made.
Nonprofits innovating in the face of COVID-19
Wondering how you can help during the coronavirus? Here are five organizations that need your support, and how your donation could be doubled.
Big tobacco announces "breakthrough" in plant-based coronavirus vaccine
A plant-based coronavirus vaccine developed by a subsidiary of British American Tobacco is now undergoing pre-clinical testing.
A promising vaccine candidate, new mutual-aid networks, 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.
New coronavirus vaccine candidate creates antibodies in mice
A new coronavirus vaccine candidate that delivers inoculation via a microneedle patch has shown promise in a peer-reviewed mouse study.
Silicon Valley fixes broken ventilators for coronavirus patients
Silicon Valley-based Bloom Energy has refurbished hundreds of ventilators for coronavirus patients in just a few weeks — and it shows no signs of slowing down.
New coronavirus test offers results in minutes
Abbott Laboratories’ new coronavirus test can tell if a person has COVID-19 in just five minutes — far faster than existing testing methods.
New study boosts case for at-home coronavirus tests
A new study eliminates one major argument against at-home coronavirus tests: that patients won’t be able to collect usable samples themselves.
You can help scientists during the coronavirus quarantine
Getting bored during the coronavirus quarantine? Researchers are looking for volunteer citizen scientists to help analyze distant galaxies from home.
Misinformation is as contagious as coronavirus
Fighting misinformation is now a crucial aspect of responding to disease, and health information expert Adrienne Holz Ivory explains why.
Coronavirus antibody testing project launches in Colorado
Colorado’s San Miguel County has launched an antibody testing project to test the blood of all 8,000 residents for signs that they’re immune to COVID-19.
University students step up to expand coronavirus testing
University students are helping expand coronavirus testing by volunteering their time to help process thousands of test samples per day in school labs.
The case for love-enhancing drugs
Drugs don’t just affect the user; they shape relationships too. And a pair of bioethicists thinks we should consider them for relationship enhancement.
The daily coronavirus news roundup – monday, march 30th
Solutions to the ventilator shortage, an app that shows what’s in stock at local stores, and other fresh coronavirus news updates.
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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