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
How consensus can undermine science
The main objective of consensus statements appears to be to reduce doubt, which may stifle scientific inquiry.
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.
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.
Psychedelics & Mental Health
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.
How Neuralink’s chief competitor is tapping into the brain without surgery
Synchron’s brain-computer interfaces do not require brain surgery, but travel to the brain through the jugular.
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
Popular weight-loss drugs show promise as addiction treatments
New trials will test the ability of GLP-1 agonists, a popular class of weight-loss drugs, to help people beat addictions to drugs and alcohol.
Australian ant honey inhibits tough pathogens, new research shows
Honeypot ant honey may help develop our arsenal of effective antibacterial and antifungal treatments, which are increasingly vital.
At least 5 people have been cured of HIV. Is the AIDS pandemic ending?
A handful of people have already been functionally cured of HIV — and new, universal cures are just on the horizon.
New treatment slashes obesity in mice eating fatty, sugary diet
A new obesity treatment developed at UMass triggered weight loss in mice even as they continued to eat a diet high in fat and sugar.
Transplants of lab-grown brain cells reduce Parkinson’s symptoms
Transplants of lab-grown dopamine neurons reduced the amount of time people experienced Parkinson’s symptoms in a small trial.
Artificial kidney aces test in pigs
An artificial kidney prototype just aced a pig trial, bringing it closer to human trials — and a step closer to ending the need for dialysis.
Study discovers how one sleep stage reactivates memories
New research suggests that during NREM sleep, our brain is more likely to store positive memories.
An ancient technique can improve your attention span
According to neuroscientist Amishi Jha, 12 minutes of mindfulness training a day strengthens your attentional systems.
Potential heart attack treatment discovered in human placentas
Placental cells known to home in on and repair damaged heart cells in mice have been discovered in humans, too.
To stave off Alzheimer’s, protect your brain’s mitochondria
Mitochondria are crucial for memory preservation and are emerging as key players in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
World-first experiment shows genetically engineered bacteria detecting cancer
Genetically engineered bacteria could be used to detect a range of different diseases, particularly infections and cancers.
Weight-loss drug improves heart failure symptoms, too
Novo Nordisk’s popular weight-loss drug semaglutide (Wegovy) improved heart failure symptoms in a trial of more than 500 people.
Arrays of quantum rods could enhance TVs or virtual reality devices
MIT engineers have used DNA origami scaffolds to create structured arrays of quantum rods, which could be incorporated into LEDs.
Paralyzed woman able to speak again, thanks to brain-avatar interface
Speech BCIs that use brain implants and algorithms to translate brain signals into text are changing the lives of people with paralysis.
Scientists bioengineer plants to have an animal-like immune system
Scientists have bioengineered a hybrid molecule by fusing components from an animal’s and a plant’s adaptive immune system.
New obesity treatments could reshape the world
New obesity treatments, including GLP-1 agonists and gene therapies, could make it easier for people to lose weight and keep it off.
“5 stages of grief” is a myth — and knowing that helps us better cope with loss
The “monomyth” model of grieving offers closure and recovery, but in most traditional cultures the dead never leave the living.
Life’s stages are changing – we need new terms and new ideas to describe them
The arc of adult development has changed over the past several decades, in ways that our psychological theories are still catching up with.
One-shot gene therapy for liver disorder works in a small trial
A new gene therapy for the rare liver disorder Crigler-Najjar syndrome was highly effective in a small trial.
A Pink Floyd song was reconstructed from listeners’ brain waves
Training an AI to reconstruct a song from listeners’ brain activity revealed insights about the brain that could lead to better speech BCIs.
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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