Science

Side by side of mouse embryos. The one on the left appears to be developing normally, but the one on the right has an extra pair of legs.

How turning off one gene causes mice to grow 6 legs

A study of embryo development in mice led to the creation of a mutant mouse fetus with an extra pair of legs in place of genitals.

Kristin Houser

a rendering of three massive silver containers with "Ark" written on them

Food

This startup is trying to solve lab-grown meat’s biggest problem

A biotech startup has developed a new kind of bioreactor that could help increase cultivated meat production.

Kristin Houser

A man in a suit stands next to a robotic arm with computer-brain interfaces on a stage under blue lighting.

Big Tech

In a future with brain-computer interfaces like Elon Musk’s Neuralink, we may need to rethink freedom of thought

In a future with more “mind reading,” thanks to computer-brain interfaces, we may need to rethink freedom of thought.

Parker Crutchfield

Aging

Transhumanism: Savior of humanity or false prophecy?

While many of the technologies upon which transhumanists base their dream are real and world-changing, they have major limitations.

Sachin Rawat

Animals

Yale team partially revives dead pig organs an hour after death

Yale’s OrganEx technology has been used to partially revive the organs of dead pigs an hour after their hearts stopped beating.

Kristin Houser

Food

This fermented cooking oil could replace vegetable oil

Zero Acre Farms is using fermentation to create a cultured oil that’s healthier and more sustainable than traditional cooking oils.

Kristin Houser

Biology

How will humans change in the next 10,000 years?

If humans don’t die out in a climate apocalypse or asteroid impact in the next 10,000 years, are we likely to evolve further?

Nicholas R. Longrich

Drugs

What your weed label really means

Through the largest analysis of commercial cannabis flower yet, Colorado researchers have found that the current labeling system falls short.

B. David Zarley

Medicine

Harvard scientists closer to solving centuries-old heart mystery

Harvard researchers have used a new method to crack the heart’s weird spiral muscle.

B. David Zarley

Animals

Crows are self-aware just like us, says new study

Crows and the rest of the corvid family keep turning out to be smarter and smarter. A corvid's pallium has more neurons than a great ape's.

Robby Berman

Drugs

Archaeologists identify contents of ancient Mayan drug containers

Archaeologists used new methods to identify contents of Mayan drug containers, discovering a non-tobacco plant.

Paul Ratner

Biology

New discoveries are rewriting the rulebook for regenerating limbs

Human limb regeneration is closer to reality thanks to new studies that refine our understanding of what mammals need to regrow body parts.

Kristin Houser

History

Why Einstein is a “peerless genius” and Hawking is an “ordinary genius”

Why some people are considered geniuses while other equally impressive people are not seems largely arbitrary.

Albert-László Barabási

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