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
Here is how your brain understands one voice in a crowd
Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center have discovered fresh insight into how the brain might deliberately hear one speaker while shutting out or ignoring another.
Traditional Thai cannabis cooking is back on the menu
Cannabis cooking has long simmered in Thailand. With the ruling junta’s new drug policies, the traditional dish is now making its way onto restaurant plates.
Researchers are testing neural stimulation as a long COVID treatment
Small pilot trials of two different types of external electrical brain stimulation suggest the technique may work as a long COVID treatment.
Researchers find a new target for a universal flu vaccine: the “anchor”
There’s a new target in the battle for a universal flu vaccine: the “anchor,” a part of the virus’ proteins less likely to mutate.
What HIV & Amish DNA can tell us about staying healthy longer
Northwestern University has launched a new longevity research center where scientists will look for ways to combat biological aging.
India authorizes “world’s COVID-19 vaccine,” created in Texas
India has just become the first nation to authorize a cheap and easy to manufacture new COVID-19 vaccine called Corbevax.
HIV prevention injection approved by FDA
The FDA has approved Apretude, an HIV prevention injection that replaces daily PrEP pills with a single shot every 60 days.
This robotics lab wants to develop the dream surgery
Chicago’s Surgical Innovation Training Lab is developing the robots, surgeons, and digital surgeries of the future.
Reasons to be optimistic in 2022
It can be tough to feel positive after the past two years. But a closer look at the recent past provides reasons for optimism in 2022 and beyond.
5 clinical trials may bring new hope in 2022
Vaccines, gene therapies, and even an anti-aging pill: These are the clinical trial results we are looking forward to in 2022.
Top 4 biotech breakthroughs of 2021
New biotechnology breakthroughs took on viruses, parasites, and genetic diseases this year.
Should psychedelics be patented?
The issue of patents has riven the psychedelic field. A lawyer’s repository of psychedelic info may make sure the new field stays fair.
Blocking an immune system protein helped mice recover from brain injury
Blocking an immune system molecule that accumulates after traumatic brain injury could significantly reduce the injury’s detrimental effects
What the ancient, alien jellyfish can tell us about the human brain
The jellyfish nervous system, revealed by glowing genes, may help unlock the secrets of how our own brain evolved.
Brain wrinkles and folds matter – researchers are studying the mechanics of how they form
Brain folding is another poorly understood mechanism of the most complex known structure in the universe.
The DMT ‘elves’ people meet while tripping
Why do so many people encounter these ‘elves’ after smoking large doses of DMT?
Teaching your immune system to ignore invaders
Autoimmune disorders can attack treatments. Can “reverse vaccination” keep the body at bay when necessary?
How can Moderna and Pfizer adjust vaccines for omicron? A microbiologist answers 5 questions
If the omicron variant of the coronavirus is different enough from the original variant, existing vaccines might not be as effective.
Would we still see ourselves as “human” if other hominin species hadn’t gone extinct?
It’s all well and good to discuss how our humanity evolved – but what even is humanity?
Microbots in your blood could help destroy cancer
Shape-shifting, magnetic microbots could become assassins for cancer — destroying tumors without the usual collateral damage on the rest of the body.
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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