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
How to radically biohack your mind
Brain-computer interfaces could enable humans to “merge with AI.”
Left-handed people are “left-out” of brain research
Left-handed people are systematically excluded from brain research, due to an archaic doctrine. These neuroscientists want that to change.
Scientists want to study your at-home psychedelic mushroom experiences
Scientists are looking for people planning to trip on psychedelic mushrooms for a new study focused on people’s “real-world” experiences with psilocybin.
Fecal transplant cures man whose gut made him drunk
A fecal transplant cured a man of auto-brewery syndrome, a rare condition in which the gut converts carbs into alcohol, making a person feel drunk.
Can the common cold help battle COVID-19?
The common cold can be caused by a coronavirus. New research suggests the immune response it causes may help protect against COVID-19.
Scientists grow mini human hearts from stem cells
Mini human hearts grown from stem cells, also known as “heart organoids,” could help doctors address the most common kind of birth defect in humans.
Study may explain why cancer gets more aggressive as we age
A molecule in the blood of older people promotes the spread of cancer, which could explain the link between age and metastatic cancer.
Using smartphone cameras to detect diabetes
A new algorithm can detect diabetes using data collected by a smartphone’s camera, offering a way to address the problem of undiagnosed diabetes.
Who should get the COVID-19 vaccine first?
The COVID-19 vaccine will likely be rationed. Who will be first on the list to receive it?
The material that could help humans become cyborgs
Coating implantable electronics in the polymer PEDOT can extend their life, which could make cyborgs more common in the future.
Can a wellness app really change someone’s life?
America has the highest per capita health spending in the world, and yet, worse population health outcomes than most other developed nations. This wellness app gets to the heart of the issue.
Open-source COVID-19 saliva test could be a game changer
SalivaDirect, a COVID-19 saliva test funded by the NBA and NBA players’ union, could be the cheap, accurate testing method the U.S. desperately needs.
This smart pill could unlock mysteries of the human gut
A new smart pill can be programmed to collect gut microbiome samples from anywhere along the GI tract — overcoming a major research problem.
AI force plate prevents injuries by predicting them
Sparta Science has developed an AI-powered force plate system that prevents injuries among athletes and soldiers by predicting their likelihood.
Doctors spray chemo inside abdominal cancer patients
For the first time, a U.S. trial will test the ability of an experimental cancer treatment called PIPAC to help late-stage abdominal cancer patients.
Immune proteins show promise as COVID-19 treatment
Immune proteins called interferons appear useful as a COVID-19 treatment if given to patients before an infection becomes severe.
Good news, bad news, and reasons to be optimistic about COVID-19
Much has evolved since the earliest predictions about COVID-19. Here’s how the data is updating our view on the coronavirus.
Gates Foundation backs a $3 coronavirus vaccine
The Gates Foundation is spending $150 million to help with the manufacturing and distribution of a $3 coronavirus vaccine in lower-income nations.
Urine test could replace malignant melanoma biopsies
Doctors can look to the levels of certain fluorescent molecules in the urine of malignant melanoma patients to track the progression of their skin cancer.
Gene-edited squid: a breakthrough in brain health research
Researchers use CRISPR to create a gene-edited squid. This work could help advance research on neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s or Alzheimer’s.
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.