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
The pandemic time capsule
The novel coronavirus has changed life as we know it. Submit your story to a pandemic time capsule to help mark history.
Relaunching the NBA, repairing medical devices, and more COVID-19 updates
In our weekly news roundup, we take you inside the fight against COVID-19 to explore the solutions on the frontlines of an unprecedented global response.
Bats are not the enemy
Researchers are developing options from the domestic to the deific to allow humans and bats to live together in…
Series|
Biohackers
DIY biohacking: Do(n’t) try this at home
Dr. Josiah Zayner believes scientists are dragging their feet on realizing CRISPR’s potential, so his do-it-yourself CRISPR kit allows people to experiment with gene editing at home.
The road to reopening, according to a Nobel Prize winner
In this episode of the Freethink Progress Report, we attempt to answer a question on all of our minds: what will it take for routines to return to normal in the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns?
Virus-repellent coating could help end the PPE shortage
Researchers have created a virus-repellent coating for fabric that could help end the PPE shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Human challenge trials, schools reopening, and more COVID-19 updates
In our weekly news roundup, we take you inside the fight against COVID-19 to explore the solutions on the frontlines of an unprecedented global response.
Genetically engineering the first hypoallergenic cat
Scientists are attempting to create the world’s first truly hypoallergenic cat by deleting the feline gene that causes cat allergies.
Eating out during the coronavirus looks a little different now
Restaurant owners are looking for — and finding — creative ways to convince patrons that eating out during the coronavirus can be safe.
Facing the fear of death in virtual reality
With a virtual reality death simulator, this immersive experience helps people address the uncomfortable subject of mortality and face their fear of dying.
A coronavirus-detecting face mask could arrive this summer
Researchers from MIT and Harvard are developing a coronavirus-detecting face mask that gives off a fluorescent signal when it senses the virus.
New exosuit helps stroke survivors walk farther and faster
A new exosuit helps stroke survivors overcome hemiparesis by assisting them in making two key walking motions with their feet.
New HIV vaccine gives monkeys longer-lasting protection
Scientists have created an HIV vaccine that triggers two types of immune response, providing monkeys with longer-lasting protection from infection.
Series|
Dope Science
Are social media giants censoring life saving drug research?
The first casualty of war is truth, and that applies to the war on drugs. Some are fighting back with harm reduction and drug education, yet they’re facing opposition from an unexpected source.
Stem cell research breakthrough opens path to growing human organs in animals
New stem cell research has revealed a way to coax human cells to grow to maturity in mouse models, a major advance in the field.
A nonthermal plasma field can eliminate 99.9% of airborne viruses
Airborne viruses can be tough to stop. A team at Michigan has developed a device that may stop them cold.
Blood enzyme could explain severe impact of coronavirus in men
A new study suggests that higher concentrations of the ACE2 blood enzyme could explain the particularly deadly impact of the coronavirus in men.
Why is an antigen test a big deal for COVID-19?
The FDA has issued its first emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 antigen test, a new type of test for diagnosing the coronavirus.
A nasal spray for coronavirus prevention is in development
Scientists are developing a nasal spray for coronavirus prevention that uses a protein found in red algae to stop the virus from taking hold.
Doctors test solution for COVID-19 phenomena, silent hypoxia
Doctors treating COVID-19 patients are testing the ability of common blood thinners to address silent hypoxia, one of the disease’s most alarming phenomena.
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.