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
Mutations in 16 species reveal clues to human aging
A surprising pattern in how often mammal cells undergo somatic mutations could be a boon to longevity research.
Build strength with only three seconds of weight lifting per day?
Researchers have found that a four-week program consisting of three seconds of weight lifting per day for five days a week boosts strength.
Meningitis vaccine appears to protect against gonorrhea, too
Young people who received a meningitis vaccine appeared to be protected against the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea, too.
Stanford scientists can control specific brain cells at a distance
Using infrared light and a Nobel Prize-winning molecule that detects chili pepper heat, researchers can control brain cells from a distance.
People trust AI fake faces more than real ones, research suggests
Fake faces created by artificial intelligence (AI) are considered more trustworthy than images of real people, a study finds.
Man builds his own bionic hand out of melted plastic bottles
After creating a bionic hand for himself, Peruvian engineer Enzo Romero launched a company to sell the low-cost prosthetics to others.
A “magnetic tentacle robot” could hunt down cancer deep in your lungs
UK researchers have developed a small, flexible, snake-like “magnetic tentacle robot” to navigate deep into the lungs.
A shapeshifting volcano virus’s secret has been discovered
The secret to a shapeshifting volcano virus may help us create new, better drug and vaccine delivery platforms.
Does this artificial intelligence think like a human?
A new technique compares the reasoning of a machine-learning model to that of a human, so the user can see patterns in the model’s behavior.
These upcoming cancer vaccines may prevent tumors before they appear
A new generation of preventative cancer vaccines for non-viral cancers are set to enter their first trials.
Psychedelics, brain implants, and the future of chronic pain relief
The future of chronic pain relief could include psychedelics, gene therapies, brain implants, and other cutting-edge alternatives to opioids.
Researchers identified over 5,500 new viruses in the ocean
These discoveries help scientists better understand not only the evolutionary history of viruses but also the evolution of life on Earth.
MIT’s new bacteria protects guts from antibiotic-caused dysbiosis
An engineered bacteria protects the gut microbiome from antibiotics to help people battle infections without risking dysbiosis.
Silencing one gene with CRISPR boosts crop yields by 10%
Using CRISPR to knock out a single gene in corn and rice increased crop yields by up to 10% in field trials.
Probiotic gut bacteria can produce a vital Parkinson’s drug
L-DOPA is a miraculous Parkinson’s drug with terrible side effects. Researchers have created drug-producing bacteria that may help.
CRISPR could create hypoallergenic cats
The results of a recent study found that genetically engineering cats could be a solution to eliminating cat allergies.
One breed of honey bee can survive its deadliest threat
A line of honey bees bred to resist the Varroa mite parasite has proven itself in a large-scale trial involving more than 350 bee colonies.
Strange treatment may restore sense of smell after COVID
Philadelphia doctors are treating COVID patient’s loss of smell with plasma-soaked sponges. But whether it is working or not still needs to be sniffed out.
Bedridden woman stands again thanks to spinal implant
A spinal cord stimulator is helping a woman who was bedridden for 18 months because she fainted every time she stood up regain her mobility.
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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