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 future of fertility, from artificial wombs to AI-assisted IVF
A look back at the history of infertility treatments and ahead to the tech that could change everything we thought we knew about reproduction.
Beyond screen time: Rethinking kids’ tech use with the “Goldilocks hypothesis”
The “Goldilocks hypothesis” asks parents to think beyond screen time and consider the habits that teens build around technology use.
Potato chips or heroin? The debate on social media and mental health
Experts disagree on whether social media causes mental health issues in adolescents despite looking at the same data. Here’s why.
Psychedelics & Mental Health
How smart devices helped me unlock hidden health wins
By measuring many different body metrics, smart health devices can help support the mental game as much as the physical fitness gains.
Pager panic: When beepers were infiltrating schools
Cities and schools once actually arrested students for carrying this dangerous technology.
Are weight-loss meds the next wonder drugs?
Evidence is mounting that GLP-1 agonists could treat many health issues — including ones that aren’t obviously related to weight.
Biohacking
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.
New AI generates CRISPR proteins unlike any seen in nature
An AI that generates CRISPR proteins is opening the door to gene editors with capabilities beyond what we’ve found in nature.
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.
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.
One shot recreates younger immune systems, in mice
An antibody treatment designed to revitalize an aging immune system delivers “surprising” results in elderly mice.
A protein found in human sweat may protect against Lyme disease
Human sweat contains a protein that may protect against Lyme disease, according to a study from MIT and the University of Helsinki.
More
Anti-aging pill for senior dogs is now in clinical trials
An anti-aging pill for senior dogs now in clinical trials might lead to treatments that extend human lives, too.
How to find success with the 4 conditions of “intelligent failure”
Intelligent failure occurs in a low-risk environment and leads to growth or new knowledge. To fail intelligently, follow five strategies.
Scientists scrutinize happiness research
Scientists dig into the research on happiness and find there isn’t always sound evidence behind recommended strategies for achieving it.
Elon Musk’s Neuralink has implanted its first device in a human being
Now that Neuralink has implanted a device in a person, CEO Elon Musk is closer to his goal of making brain chips common in the future.
Will AI companions help or hurt the “loneliness epidemic”?
About a third of people are lonely. Three scholars consider whether AI can help, or if it’ll just make things worse.
New antiviral shortens COVID-19 by 1.5 days
People taking simnotrelvir, a new antiviral treatment for COVID-19, felt almost immediate symptom relief and got better 1.5 days faster.
A dietician explains “Zepbound,” the newest weightloss drug
Zepbound recently joined the list of obesity-fighting drugs administered as injections that has been approved by the FDA.
One-and-done anti-aging treatment “rejuvenates” old mice
CAR-T cells that have been modified to target senescent cells could be a one-and-done anti-aging treatment.
World’s first malaria vaccination campaign launches in Cameroon
Cameroon has launched the world’s first malaria vaccine program — a huge milestone on the path to a malaria-free future.
The growing link between microbes, mood, and mental health
New research suggests that to maintain a healthy brain, we should tend our gut microbiome not through pills and supplements, but better food.
Tech hacks the nervous system to bring touch to virtual reality
Afference’s Phantom conducts electrical signals through nerves in the fingers to convince your brain it feels objects in virtual spaces.
Drinking this foam could boost an experimental cancer therapy
A drinkable foam packed with carbon monoxide molecules appears to boost the cancer-killing effects of autophagy inhibitors.
No pain, no gain? Science debunks yet another exercise myth
Exercise culture advertises intense workouts as the best way to see gains. But research suggests moderate exercise is better.
Deaf boy hears within days of receiving new gene therapy
A gene therapy designed to treat a rare form of genetic deafness has restored hearing in the first patient to receive it.
Three ways your environment affects your intelligence
These examples underscore the importance of environmental regulation and policies; otherwise, we might just be throwing away our intelligence.
DeepMind’s AI could accelerate drug discovery
A new study suggests that AlphaFold, DeepMind’s AI tool for predicting protein structures, could be useful for drug discovery after all.
Pig liver filters blood outside a person’s body for 72 hours
A gene-edited pig liver that filtered the blood of a person who was brain dead for 72 hours could one day help people with liver failure.
“Resilience”: How a genocide scholar faces history’s darkest moments
Genocide historian Omer Bartov says studying his particularly challenging subject has made him more mentally resilient.
Immune cells linked to allergies can kill cancer
The newly discovered cancer-killing abilities of a type of immune cell linked to allergies suggests it could be a new immunotherapy.
Urine-propelled nanobots shrink bladder tumors by 90% in animals
Tiny, radioactive nanobots propelled by urine shrank bladder tumors by 90% in mice, suggesting a new way to target the disease.
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.
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