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
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.
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.
How consensus can undermine science
The main objective of consensus statements appears to be to reduce doubt, which may stifle scientific inquiry.
Psychedelics & Mental Health
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
The plan to wipe out mosquitoes using genetic engineering
The world’s richest and poorest people are teaming up against humanity’s deadliest predator.
Training the body to fight off drug-resistant bacteria
A new strategy, called host-targeted defense, could help solve antibiotic resistance by upgrading the immune system.
Why cancer patients should get genetic sequencing
Genomic sequencing saved his live. Now he wants everyone to have access.
Finding a new drug in one-third the time and one-thousandth the cost
How a pediatric cancer drug went from discovery to clinical trials in five years and just $500,000.
Living drugs may be the key to beating genetic disease
Engineering bacteria in the microbiome could fix previously untreatable genetic disorders.
Making tumors glow to improve cancer surgery
This surgeon is improving surgery by lighting up cancer cells.
What is cystic fibrosis—and what is it like?
What you need to know about this genetic disease, explained by someone who knows it inside and out.
How redesigning labs can demystify genetic science
“Scientists work in high-security buildings that are banned to the public and then wonder why they are misunderstood.”
A hidden benefit of banned antimicrobial soap: Treating cystic fibrosis infections
The FDA banned triclosan from hand soap, but new research shows that it can supercharge old antibiotics.
Why we need a universal flu vaccine
Two scientists explain why the flu is still such a problem, a century after it killed 50 million people — and what…
Paige and the virus hunter
Drugs couldn’t stop her infection — so she asked Ben Chan to get her a virus, instead.
Fighting superbugs with viruses
This Yale scientist’s experimental treatment is a Texas woman’s last resort.
Air travel could be stopping the next plague
Our hyper-connected world might be protecting us against devastating plagues.
Neuroscience has a low-tech answer for a good night's sleep
Neuroscientists say that we may be ignoring a basic fact that could defuse the “screen-time wars” between parents…
We're mapping 100 trillion human cells (and all of their genes)
The “Human BioMolecular Atlas” will map the active genes in over 200 types of cells and 80 different organ systems.
A skin graft cures cocaine cravings (in mice)
A CRISPR skin graft looks like a promising way to deliver gene therapy.
Steven Pinker makes the case for optimism
Are things really worse than ever, or are we missing the bigger picture?
Personal genetics might solve the opioid crisis – and the pain crisis
Why does pain hurt more for some people? Why do others feel nothing at all?
To eradicate TB, we need old-fashioned ambition
The Ebola outbreak sparked more medical innovation in two years than TB has in decades, even though TB is killing…
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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.