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 missing tech case for how we create an era of abundance
AI and other new technologies could make things that are costly and scarce today, cheap and abundant for all tomorrow.
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.
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
Australian military is funding a computer chip merged with human brain cells
The Australian military is funding research into “organoid intelligence” that involves stimulating lab-grown mini-brains with electrodes.
Lab-grown meat techniques aren’t new
Cell cultures are common tools in science, but bringing them up to scale to meet society’s demand for meat will require further development.
Immune cells in the brain may reduce damage during seizures and promote recovery
Microglia perform many functions in the brain, and their role in seizures is unclear — a new study in mice aims to find out more.
Scientists monitored the brains of 4 dying patients. Here’s what they found
Researchers found a surge of neurophysiological activity in the dying human brain, including in regions associated with conscious processing.
These giant viruses are unlike any we’ve ever seen before
Scientists have discovered a variety of “giant viruses” unlike any ever seen before in Massachusetts’ Harvard Forest
Brain-computer interfaces could let soldiers control weapons with their thoughts
Brain-computer interfaces raise many ethical questions about how and whether they should be used for certain applications — including war.
Why death matters
Reframing life in terms of death reveals some of the biggest philosophical problems with how we think about living systems.
New study shows how electricity can turn on genes
A prototype wearable demonstrates a novel way to trigger gene expression: by zapping cells with electricity.
What lies beneath our irrational decisions
In new book, an MIT scholar examines how game-theory logic underpins many of our seemingly odd and irrational decisions.
AI will soon tell doctors how to predict your future health
A new AI can can analyze X-rays for a important predictor of heart disease with a high degree of accuracy.
Two CRISPR treatments for Alzheimer’s ace early studies
Two teams of researchers have used CRISPR to alter the genes of mice to alleviate signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
Almost everyone fears death — but not in the same ways
Fear of death may be the most primal, normal human fear, but it’s one we all experience differently.
First-of-their-kind eye drops reverse blindness in teen
A topical gene therapy designed to heal the wounds of people with “butterfly skin disease” has now been used to reverse blindness.
New clinical trial is testing a ketamine skin cream for PTSD
A topical ketamine treatment designed to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD without causing hallucinations has entered clinical trials.
4 ways to promote neurogenesis in your brain
Research from the 1960s proves creating new neurons as adults is possible, and modern-day research explains how to promote it.
New RSV shot protects babies against dangerous lung infections
The FDA has approved nirsevimab, an RSV shot that protects babies against the leading cause of infant hospitalizations in the US.
ADHD drugs could alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s
Scientists reviewed 40 years of clinical studies that assessed the effects of NA-targeting drugs, such as certain ADHD drugs, on Alzheimer’s.
Neuroscience research triggers revision of a leading theory of consciousness
A brain scanning study on unconsciously processed visual information disrupts a leading theory of consciousness: global workspace theory.
Radioactive drugs are transforming cancer treatment
Radiopharmaceuticals allow doctors to directly target patients’ cancer cells and avoid healthy tissue typically damaged by radiation therapy.
Got COVID but felt fine? It may be your genes.
A person’s chances of having asymptomatic COVID are dramatically increased if they possess a certain genetic mutation.
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.
Subscribe to the newsletter