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
Scientists are developing brain implants that improve memory
New research sheds hope for sufferers of traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s, and for all of us, old age.
Biohacker’s prosthetic arm lets him play a synthesizer with his mind
Biohacker Bertolt Meyer has built the SynLimb, a controller that attaches to his prosthetic arm, allowing him to control his modular synthesizer with his mind.
China is responding to the coronavirus in a way only China could
China is using its vast surveillance network and near-total control over citizens to respond to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in a way perhaps no other nation could.
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Biohackers
I got a chip implanted in a biohacking garage
Hacker surgeons like Jeffrey Tibbetts implant everything from compasses to wireless routers. Freethink’s own Chase Pipkin decided to try it out.
Experts unveil “breakthrough” map of key coronavirus protein
Scientists have created the first atomic-scale 3D map of 2019-nCoV’s spike protein, the part of the coronavirus that infiltrates human cells.
Stimulating monkeys’ brains snaps them out of unconsciousness
Researchers found that they could induce a state of consciousness in an unconscious monkey by electrically stimulating a specific part of the animal’s brain.
MDMA effects, risks, and rewards explained
MDMA, also known as Molly or Ecstasy, is a synthetic psychoactive drug. MDMA effects include enhanced pleasure and a heightened sense of touch and sound.
How to make 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine in a year
Creating a new vaccine is slow and expensive. One biotech firm thinks a “plug-and-play” vaccine could change that.
Hacking the Tinder algorithm to find love
Dating apps are really good at introducing you to lots of people, but they might not be the best way to find a lifelong partner. Can we decode our data to get better results?
Medical cannabis explained
Medical cannabis is everywhere. We’re answering your basic questions and unpacking the promises and pitfalls, based on the latest research.
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The Edge
Eye tracking gives athletes an unprecedented edge
With eye tracking technology, athletes can now monitor, analyze, and train their eye movements to effectively reduce their average reaction time.
Improv for anxiety
In a judgement-free setting, improv requires the mind to focus on the present, providing natural anxiety relief for performers.
Legal pot is finally growing up and going to college
As medical marijuana becomes mainstream, so does the need for an educated workforce in the industry. Enter the nation’s first-ever cannabis degree program.
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The Edge
Top athletes are shocking their brains with tDCS
Why are professional athletes using brain-zapping headsets? This tDCS device creates a state of hyper-learning, which could help improve their performance.
Ibogaine: The psychedelic cure?
Ibogaine, an African psychedelic drug which comes from the iboga plant, is used for both religious rites and drug addiction treatment.
Modifying poplar tree genes to fight pollution
The number of poplar trees around the world has doubled, but a chemical compound in their leaves means they might be doing more harm than good.
THC could help women with endometriosis
Hundreds of thousands of women suffer with endometriosis, a disorder that causes painful tissue growth outside of the uterus. Pending clinical trials around THC may finally spell relief.
Do bigger brains have better memories?
Scientists may be one step closer to putting the age-old question to rest on whether brain size impacts cognitive function.
The strange science of sports recovery with Christie Aschwanden
From infrared pajamas to cryo chambers, athletes swear recovery methods give them an edge on the playing field. But what does science have to say about it?
CRISPR may unlock targeted cannabis therapy
New medicinal cannabis research shows potential for personalized drug therapy, without the side effects.
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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