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
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.
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.
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
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
Lab-grown retinas move toward human trials
Lab-grown eye cells have demonstrated an ability to communicate, a huge milestone along the path to using them to reverse blindness.
Chickenpox and shingles virus lying dormant in your neurons can reactivate and increase your risk of stroke
People with shingles have an approximately 80% higher risk of stroke than those without the disease, and researchers want to know why.
A single injection of gene therapy made old mice live 7% longer
Biotech startup Rejuvenate Bio says it has extended the lives of elderly mice by 7% using a technique called “partial reprogramming.”
FDA approves new Alzheimer’s medication
Lecanemab, a new Alzheimer’s medication shown to slow cognitive decline in patients, has been granted accelerated approval by the FDA.
Artificial penis tissue restores erections in injured pigs
Artificial penis tissue that restored erections in injured pigs might one day do the same for people with erectile dysfunction.
Mother’s mitochondria used to treat her child’s rare genetic disorder
A new therapy that treats children with rare mtDNA mutations using mitochondria sourced from their mothers has now been tested in patients.
New mRNA universal flu vaccine against all known subtypes takes promising first steps
A new universal flu vaccine candidate that uses mRNA to target all known flu subtypes looks promising in animal models.
New stem cell patches could repair babies’ heart defects permanently
Stem cell patches under development in the UK might allow surgeons to permanently repair infants congenital heart defects.
Not just light: Everything is a wave, including you
In the 1920s, the wave-particle duality of light was extended to include all material objects, from electrons to you.
Genetic research confirms your dog’s breed influences its personality — but so do you
A dog’s breed has a big impact on their personality, but whether they fit your lifestyle is also down to good training.
A look at innovative, single-incision procedures
With a single incision, some surgeons can now accomplish just as much as they previously did with four.
This company turns food waste and mushrooms into building materials
UK-based company Biohm uses natural vegetative material like food waste and mushrooms to ‘grow’ insulation panels.
We gave ChatGPT a college-level microbiology quiz. It blew the quiz away.
A microbiologist devised a quiz that would be appropriate as a final exam for college-level microbiology students. ChatGPT blew it away.
The “recovery paradox” explains why you’re burnt out
There’s regular job stress, and then there’s uncertainty, dread, and constant change. Here’s how to actually recover from it.
New antibody therapy works for 73% of multiple myeloma patients
A new multiple myeloma therapy that uses an antibody to bring T cells to the cancer has shown efficacy in clinical trials.
Seven science and tech breakthroughs you may have missed this year
A roundup of major science and tech achievements that flew under the radar in 2022, including new vaccines, advanced solar cells, and more.
How to use the brain’s own immune cells to stave off Alzheimer’s
Research suggests that microglia play a key role in preventing neurodegenerative diseases by helping to remove toxic waste.
Engineered bacteria may one day prevent kidney stones
In a small proof-of-concept study, an engineered E. coli was able to reduce levels of a kidney stone-causing chemical.
Harvard and Kraft Heinz are trying to make sugar healthier
Instead of replacing sugar, Wyss scientists had an idea: what if they change sugar to make it healthier?
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