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 left–right twist that could rewrite tech
Scientists are harnessing chirality — the left- and right-handedness of molecules — to build better batteries, sharper displays, and more.
Longevity progress is real. So are the scams.
Longevity is in a paradoxical place at the moment, with anti-aging influencers misrepresenting real progress in order to make money.
How a dog’s life could extend yours
Studying animals — from long-lived clams to everyday dogs — is helping scientists understand aging and design therapies to slow decline.
Psychedelics & Mental Health
Living longer — and healthier — starts with boosting your brain
Science is beginning to unravel the reasons behind age-related cognitive decline — and what we can do about it.
Why AI gets stuck in infinite loops — but conscious minds don’t
Anil Seth suggests the difference is that living beings are rooted in time and entropy, a grounding that may be essential for consciousness.
Inside a neuroscientist’s quest to cure coma
Thousands of Americans are trapped in disorders of consciousness. Neuroscientist Daniel Toker is searching for a way out.
Biohacking
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.
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.
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.
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
We purged worms from our bodies — and may have made ourselves sick
Biotech labs are mining worm chemistry to design medicines that calm the immune system without the risks of live infection.
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.
More
New non-opioid pain reliever moves closer to approval
Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ new painkiller, VX-548, significantly reduced moderate-to-severe pain in two phase 3 trials.
Inhalable sensors could enable early lung cancer detection
MIT engineers have designed diagnostic particles that can be aerosolized and inhaled to find cancer-associated proteins in the lungs.
“Insane” new type of virus-like organisms found in human gut
Stanford scientists have discovered a strange new class of virus-like organisms, called “obelisks,” in the human gut microbiome.
New DNA testing reveals who made ancient stone tools
Using modern DNA analysis techniques, archaeologists have solved the mystery of who made a class of ancient stone tools.
New CRISPR tomatoes need less watering
Gene-edited tomatoes that can grow with less water could help solve the problem of feeding a world battling increased water scarcity.
First jet suit race is less than a month away
During the world’s first jet suit race, eight competitors will take flight over the water off the coast of Dubai.
Anti-aging pill for senior dogs is now in clinical trials
An anti-aging pill for senior dogs now in clinical trials might lead to treatments that extend human lives, too.
How to find success with the 4 conditions of “intelligent failure”
Intelligent failure occurs in a low-risk environment and leads to growth or new knowledge. To fail intelligently, follow five strategies.
Scientists scrutinize happiness research
Scientists dig into the research on happiness and find there isn’t always sound evidence behind recommended strategies for achieving it.
Elon Musk’s Neuralink has implanted its first device in a human being
Now that Neuralink has implanted a device in a person, CEO Elon Musk is closer to his goal of making brain chips common in the future.
Will AI companions help or hurt the “loneliness epidemic”?
About a third of people are lonely. Three scholars consider whether AI can help, or if it’ll just make things worse.
New antiviral shortens COVID-19 by 1.5 days
People taking simnotrelvir, a new antiviral treatment for COVID-19, felt almost immediate symptom relief and got better 1.5 days faster.
A dietician explains “Zepbound,” the newest weightloss drug
Zepbound recently joined the list of obesity-fighting drugs administered as injections that has been approved by the FDA.
One-and-done anti-aging treatment “rejuvenates” old mice
CAR-T cells that have been modified to target senescent cells could be a one-and-done anti-aging treatment.
World’s first malaria vaccination campaign launches in Cameroon
Cameroon has launched the world’s first malaria vaccine program — a huge milestone on the path to a malaria-free future.
The growing link between microbes, mood, and mental health
New research suggests that to maintain a healthy brain, we should tend our gut microbiome not through pills and supplements, but better food.
Tech hacks the nervous system to bring touch to virtual reality
Afference’s Phantom conducts electrical signals through nerves in the fingers to convince your brain it feels objects in virtual spaces.
Drinking this foam could boost an experimental cancer therapy
A drinkable foam packed with carbon monoxide molecules appears to boost the cancer-killing effects of autophagy inhibitors.
No pain, no gain? Science debunks yet another exercise myth
Exercise culture advertises intense workouts as the best way to see gains. But research suggests moderate exercise is better.
Deaf boy hears within days of receiving new gene therapy
A gene therapy designed to treat a rare form of genetic deafness has restored hearing in the first patient to receive it.
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.
Get inspired with the most innovative stories shaping the world around us.