Biotech

Close-up image of an intricate, frosty pattern on a glass surface, with a blue hue and varying shapes formed by the frost crystals.

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
Spain will use robots to increase coronavirus testing
Spain is buying a fleet of robots to increase coronavirus testing from 20,000 COVID-19 tests daily to 80,000, according to officials.
Forget needles – this thin strip may improve access to vaccinations
Temperature stable vaccinations could change how we store and transport life-saving medicine to the places that need it most.
Researchers unveil low-cost coronavirus ventilator design
Researchers have specifically designed a new coronavirus ventilator to address the critical shortage caused by the abundance of COVID-19 patients.
Coronavirus volunteers are using tech to help their communities
Groups looking for ways to help during COVID-19 are turning to tech, using websites, spreadsheets, and online forms to mobilize coronavirus volunteers.
Will these lab-made viruses prevent a pandemic?
Previously blacklisted gain-of-function mutation experiments are back, and they’re being used to fight the next major pandemic.
Y Combinator startups turn resources toward coronavirus
More than 25 Y Combinator startups have joined the COVID-19 response effort — find out how you can help these businesses fighting the coronavirus.
New to homeschooling? here are 5 resources that can help
Here are five online resources for the first-time homeschooler, from foreign language classes to physical education.
The daily coronavirus news roundup – friday, march 27th
Slowing infection rates in New York, a robot that’s delivering vital supplies, and other fresh coronavirus news updates.
A list of the coronavirus symptoms, and when to see a doctor
Here is the latest information on coronavirus symptoms and how to distinguish COVID-19 from allergies, the flu, or a common cold.
The daily coronavirus news roundup – thursday, march 26th
An app that can help trace transmission, a 30-minute diagnostics test, and other fresh coronavirus news updates.
Delivery robot distributes supplies during coronavirus
Chinese company Neolix’s delivery robot has proven to be an instrumental — and versatile — weapon in China’ fight against the novel coronavirus.
A smart thermometer is helping fight the coronavirus
Kinsa Health is helping fight the coronavirus by sharing data collected by its smart thermometers as quickly as possible.
New app uses location data to track the coronavirus
Researchers from MIT and Harvard have created a smartphone app to track the coronavirus, and it puts a premium on user privacy.
How deadly is the coronavirus? The numbers may not mean what you think.
Your guide to understanding the confusing and contradictory coronavirus fatality rates.
The daily coronavirus news roundup – wednesday, march 25th
A new blood test in the Netherlands, declining death rates in Italy, and other fresh coronavirus news updates.
Doctors: home-based care for coronavirus could save lives
A group of doctors in Italy is making the case for more home-based care for coronavirus patients as a way of coping with the overwhelming COVID-19 outbreak.
The daily coronavirus news roundup – tuesday, march 24th
A hospital ship off the coast of Los Angeles, the potential new coronavirus treatment, and other fresh coronavirus news updates.
South Korea starts using “phone booths” for coronavirus tests
A South Korean hospital has created “phone booths” where medical staff can complete coronavirus tests on patients during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Flu drug may be an effective new coronavirus treatment
The Japanese flu drug favipiravir is an effective and safe new coronavirus treatment, Chinese officials claim after testing it on 340 patients.
The daily coronavirus news roundup – monday, march 23rd
Solutions to the mask shortage, a massive vaccine and treatment list, 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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