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.

A person walks inside a large, light-colored brain shape superimposed over a close-up of a face with closed eyes.

Neuroscience

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.

A woman with long blond hair wearing a striped shirt smiles while standing in front of a purple backdrop with "BIG THINK" and "EXPAND YOUR WORLD" logos.

The Great Progression

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.

A person wearing gloves holds a sign reading "OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON SCIENCE" with an image of Earth; several people stand nearby on a sidewalk.

Misinformation

How consensus can undermine science

The main objective of consensus statements appears to be to reduce doubt, which may stifle scientific inquiry.

Two children play Pac-Man arcade machines in a dimly lit arcade. One child stands on a stool, while an adult nearby holds cash.

Video Games

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.

A gloved hand holds a small, yellow electronic microchip with a grid of black dots on its surface against a plain white background.

Neuroscience

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.

Circular abstract pattern with intricate, intertwined blue and white swirling lines forming a radiant, symmetrical design against a dark background.

Drugs

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.

The Great Progression

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.

Stylized illustration of test tubes containing red shapes: a human embryo, molecules, a goat, wheat, and a duck against a purple background.

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.

A collage of agricultural elements including a satellite, crop fields, tomatoes, and growth charts illustrating data, boosted breeding techniques, chemical formulas, and a seedling highlights efforts to combat hunger.

Agriculture

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.

A red hourglass is centered against a swirling, purple abstract background, evoking the visionary essence of Ray Kurzweil's AI innovations.

AI

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.

a vaccine vial in front of a backdrop of cells

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.

Three chickens, with one overlayed by a microscope image of the flu virus, on a black background

Public Health

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.

Close-up split-image of a mouse with one half in natural color and the other half in a pink hue

Aging

One shot recreates younger immune systems, in mice

An antibody treatment designed to revitalize an aging immune system delivers “surprising” results in elderly mice.

Series| Crossing the Divide

The conservative radio host urging people to break out of their bubbles