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
Ancient Olympians wouldn’t qualify for today’s Games
Across history, the human body has been reshaped by discipline, medicine, and now technology — each era redefining peak performance.
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.
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.
Psychedelics & Mental Health
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.
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.
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
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
This robot creates a GPS for your lungs
A traditional lung biopsy is incredibly invasive, but new tech is allowing doctors to get ahead of lung cancer and give patients a fighting chance.
Stomach implant tells your brain you're not hungry
A tiny implant uses LED light stimulation to stave off hunger, offering a new weight loss option, and gastric bypass alternative, for people suffering from obesity.
New discovery could stop dengue’s “breakbone” fever
Making a dengue vaccine is difficult. It’s early, but a new antibody that targets a protein the virus makes instead of the virus itself may be a solution.
Vaccines and recovery both provide strong COVID-19 immunity
Natural COVID-19 immunity — the kind coronavirus survivors have — is about as robust as the immunity prompted by vaccines.
Base editing could cure a host of genetic diseases
Base editing has proven useful for correcting disease-causing point mutations in animals — and now, human trials are on the horizon.
Smart vape pen claims to solve the cannabis dosing problem
To solve the cannabis dosing problem, the MODE smart vape vibrates when a person should stop inhaling and again when they should exhale.
Moderna is developing an mRNA vaccine for HIV
Moderna is using the same technology behind its COVID-19 vaccine to develop an mRNA vaccine for HIV.
Beyond COVID: mRNA vaccines may treat cancer and more
The technology used to make the COVID-19 vaccine could be used to treat other diseases too.
New mask design from Beats by Dre designer
The designer of the original Beats by Dre headphones is working on a next-generation face mask that combines fashion and functionality.
Phage therapy kills superbug behind many ICU infections
Combining a bacteria-killing virus and an antibiotic was able to wipe out an infection of the superbug A. baumannii in mice.
Nerve-stimulator helps people walk after MS and strokes
The EvoWalk wearable uses electrical stimulation, sensors, and AI to combat foot drop, a condition commonly linked to MS and strokes.
Should we delay the second doses of COVID-19 vaccines?
As vaccination campaigns begin, researchers are divided over whether the two-dose strategy should be delayed to get more people’s first dose done quicker.
Smart vaccine device could speed up development process
An in-development smart vaccine device uses a microneedle patch to both deliver a vaccine and measure the immune response it generates.
Cancer cells can hibernate to escape chemotherapy
A new study has found evidence that cancer cells hibernate, slowing down their division and waiting out the harsh environment of chemotherapy.
New COVID-19 treatment uses stem cells
Umbilical cord stem cells may provide life-saving care for people with a serious case of coronavirus.
A “self-deleting” gene drive to end mosquito-borne diseases
A gene drive designed to remove itself from an insect population after a few generations could help bring an end to mosquito-borne diseases.
These brain implants can predict an epileptic seizure days in advance
For the first time, a study has shown that brain activity could be used to forecast the onset of epileptic seizures several days in advance.
A cancer immunotherapy technique may prevent diabetes
Engineered immune cells can fight off rogue T cells which damage the pancreas and cause type 1 diabetes.
Quadriplegic man, using two robot arms, can feed himself again
A man paralyzed from the neck down used a brain computer interface to control two robot arms — a big step in the field of mind-controlled prosthetics.
First-of-its-kind app lets scientists analyze DNA on the move
Genome sequencing tech is getting more portable. Now, there’s a genome analysis app that puts the ability to study those genomes in scientists’ pockets.
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.