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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
CRISPR’d male “surrogates” can produce another animal’s prized sperm
High-quality sperm means high-quality animals, but the process can be expensive or inaccessible. CRISPR-edited “surrogate sires” may provide a solution.
“Candy flipping” — mixing MDMA and LSD — is hitting the lab
A clinical trial of mixing LSD and MDMA, known as “candy flipping,” wants to see if molly can take a trip’s edge off and make LSD therapy more effective.
Antivenom scientists are using horse antibodies for COVID-19
In Costa Rica, horse antibodies for COVID-19 are about to enter human trials.
Studying pig sh*t to prevent the next pandemic
A pilot program in North Carolina offers one solution to scanning for a potential pig virus in our farm system – slurry testing.
“Google Maps for the human body” offers a deep view inside our trillions of cells
Researchers are creating an interactive, 3D map of the human body to help identify and prevent disease.
The future of vaccines may be injectable gels
Scientists have designed a slow-releasing vaccine that can more accurately match the timeframe of a natural infection.
Scientists are developing a coronavirus breathalyzer test
Fast, accurate, cheap, and easy to use, a coronavirus breathalyzer could be a game changer — and multiple research teams are racing to get them approved.
MIT can now monitor your sleeping position with radio waves
A new sleep monitor out of MIT uses reflections from radio signals — not cameras or body sensors — to track a person’s sleeping positions.
Can RNA editing catch up to CRISPR?
Developed in the 1980s, RNA editing was overshadowed by CRISPR. But the last few years have seen a resurgence of interest in the gene editing technique.
The race to get artificial blood into patients’ veins
Artificial blood could help address blood shortages while overcoming the limitations of donated blood, which has a relatively short shelf life.
Could a single injection send diabetes into remission?
Research has found that a single surgical injection of a protein into the brain can restore blood sugar levels and send diabetes into remission, for rodents. This could transform the lives of people living with diabetes.
This edible sensor can alert you of food contamination
A microneedle patch made of silk changes color if it senses food contamination or spoilage, making it easier to know when food’s gone bad.
New brain implant reads minds from inside a blood vessel
A first-of-its-kind neural interface called the Stentrode sits in a blood vessel in the brain, picking up signals it can wirelessly transmit to a computer.
Researchers found tiny COVID-19 antibodies in an alpaca
Inside an alpaca’s blood, researchers have found tiny antibodies — nanobodies — that may lead to future antiviral medications.
$25 genetic test can improve asthma treatment for kids
Before prescribing an asthma treatment to children, doctors should use a cheap genetic test to look for a specific altered gene, according to a new study.
Scientists use 40-year-old DNA to clone endangered horse
The first cloned Przewalski’s horse could inject the critically endangered species with a much-need dose of genetic diversity.
The world's first living machines
The world’s first living robots may one day clean up our oceans.
New ALS treatment appears to slow disease progression
A new ALS treatment that appears to slow disease progression offers hope to those battling the incurable neurological disorder.
Weird, synthetic intestinal lining could make treating diseases easier
A synthetic intestinal lining could make it easier for doctors to control drug delivery and nutrient absorption in patients.
FDA approves first artificial pancreas for young children
The FDA has approved a new artificial pancreas for children, making diabetes management easier for caretakers of diabetics as young as two.
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.