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
Ancient Olympians wouldn’t qualify for today’s Games
Across history, the human body has been reshaped by discipline, medicine, and now technology — each era redefining peak performance.
Why AI gets stuck in infinite loops — but conscious minds don’t
Anil Seth suggests the difference is that living beings are rooted in time and entropy, a grounding that may be essential for consciousness.
We purged worms from our bodies — and may have made ourselves sick
Biotech labs are mining worm chemistry to design medicines that calm the immune system without the risks of live infection.
Psychedelics & Mental Health
Inside a neuroscientist’s quest to cure coma
Thousands of Americans are trapped in disorders of consciousness. Neuroscientist Daniel Toker is searching for a way out.
Pac-Man turned 45 today. The surgeon general once warned that playing it could make kids violent.
Officials’ warnings about the impact of video games on kids were never proven true. They may be making the same mistake with social media.
Flexible brain implant takes major leap forward
The FDA’s clearance of Precision Neuroscience’s flexible electrode array pushes the startup ahead in the race to BCI commercialization.
Biohacking
Three founders look to the future at Freethink’s inaugural Great Progression event
The tech community came together for the launch of the Great Progression event series, curated by Peter Leyden and produced by Freethink.
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.
This conservationist is trying to bring extinct species back to life
Ryan Phelan, co-founder of Revive & Restore, talks about the future of conservation at Freethink’s Great Progression event.
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
mRNA vaccines could change everything in the fight against disease
Traditional methods of vaccination have come up against difficult challenges. They can also be expensive and time-consuming to produce. New RNA vaccines are faster, cheaper, and safer, and show great potential to meet evolving threats.
Bringing community healthcare to the people
There is an urgent challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa: people are dying from treatable illnesses like malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea. Now, people are turning to their neighbors for community health care.
Scientists grew a mini brain in a lab. It has human-like brain waves.
For the first time, a lab-grown mini brain has brain waves. Researchers can now launch new ways to study brain disorders. But the question of consciousness in the brain-like organoid could raise concern.
Uganda begins massive new Ebola vaccine study
The Ebola outbreak in the Congo is now the second deadliest on record. How can we stop the devastation? A study in Uganda could hold the key for a new vaccine.
Prosthetics as fashion: designers transform prosthetic leg covers into wearable art
Alleles is a premier boutique where amputees can be fitted for fashionable limb covers that make their prosthetic limbs stylish and eye-catching. These designers hope their fashions will help reduce the stigma that comes with prosthetics.
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Superhuman
Electric skin gives sensation back to amputees
Touch is a sensation that connects us all. This scientist created electronic skin that lets people with prosthetic limbs feel.
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Superhuman
The emerging cyborg
Alec McMorris is testing one of the world’s most advanced prosthetics – an AI powered bionic leg.
Advanced prosthetics are not only powerful, they’re beautiful
“There’s a deep, deep relationship between the functionality of the device and a person’s identity of what their body is.”
Hope grows for patients with spinal cord injuries
Severe spinal cord injuries resulting in total paralysis are usually considered permanent, with no hope of recovery. And yet, in a handful of patients spanning multiple levels of severity, movement is being regained.
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Superhuman
Spinal implants: Helping the paralyzed walk again
Walking after complete spinal cord injury used to be a far-fetched dream. But, with advances in spinal cord implants for paralysis, even paraplegics have been able to regain mobility and walk again.
Wearable robotic suits could be coming to a store near you
What can lift 500 pounds in each hand, walk for miles and miles with a heavy load, or leap over obstacles in a single bound? Humans – with the help of wearable robotics.
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Superhuman
The exoskeleton marathon racer
How do you bounce back from a life-changing car accident? Adam Gorlitsky decided he would break a world record.
What wolves can teach us about human connection
Wolves are not often thought of as therapy animals, but Wolf Connections is changing that perception while helping young people in the process.
Ever wonder what happens to leftover crayons?
This dad is melting down old crayons for kids who need them most.
Scientists sidestep restrictions on cannabis research by taking their lab mobile
This mobile lab, run by scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder, is one of several workarounds developed…
This child psychiatrist is saving refugees from trauma
With the right intervention at the right time, a trauma can be recorded in the memory as non-traumatic and in many cases the devastating effects of PTSD in children refugees can be avoided.
Keeper of the missing
One woman is tracking thousands of missing people. Autism is her superpower.
Is the future of therapy… virtual? A look into virtual reality therapy
The immersive world of VR may have therapeutic benefits for people combating phobias, anxiety, and PTSD.
In the US, rural hospitals are closing. Can medical drones fill this healthcare gap?
“Whether you live in the developed world or the developing world, the further you travel outside of a major city,…
Preparing for outbreak: Fighting the world's deadliest diseases
The World Health Organization has compiled a list of the most dangerous diseases that could strike next year.
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.
Get inspired with the most innovative stories shaping the world around us.