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
Are microplastics really destroying our health?
Scientists still don’t know how microplastics impact human health, but they do have ideas for stopping their spread.
The exciting research that may cure Parkinson’s
GeneCode is developing a drug it hopes won’t just alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms but also protect and restore patient’s neural health.
This $400 genetic test could save your life
Nucleus Genomics’ new whole genome sequencing and analysis service promises to reveal the secrets hidden in your DNA.
Psychedelics & Mental Health
AI chatbots may ease the world’s loneliness (if they don’t make it worse)
AI chatbots may have certain advantages when roleplaying as our friends. They may also come with downsides that make our loneliness worse.
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.
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
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.
Ultrasound waves help Alzheimer’s drug get into the brain
Beaming focused ultrasound waves into the heads of Alzheimer’s patients helped a drug bypass the blood-brain barrier.
Engineers develop a vibrating, ingestible capsule that might help treat obesity
MIT engineers designed an ingestible capsule that vibrates within the stomach, creating an illusory sense of fullness and reducing appetite.
Are anxiety and depression social problems or chemical disorders?
As antidepressants will soon be a $16B industry, the chemical imbalance theory suits business interests better than health interests.
This “supermaterial” created a transparent brain implant
An AI-powered transparent brain implant made of the supermaterial graphene can predict activity below the brain’s surface.
Revamped CRISPR restores vision in blind mice
A new delivery system for prime editing could be the key to using the tech to treat genetic disorders in people.
Using AI, MIT researchers identify a new class of antibiotic candidates
Using a type of artificial intelligence, MIT researchers have discovered a class of compounds that can kill drug-resistant bacteria.
Psychoactive drug ibogaine helps veterans with TBI
A small study found that one dose of ibogaine could reduce the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) for military vets.
Bioengineers design a new plant to purify air faster than nature
Neoplants has bioengineered a pothos plant that removes 30 times more pollutants from the air than a regular houseplant.
How a mutation in microglia elevates Alzheimer’s risk
A study finds that microglia with mutant TREM2 protein reduce brain circuit connections, promote inflammation, and contribute to Alzheimer’s.
Superbug-killing antibiotic is now in human trials
A promising new antibiotic that kills a superbug resistant to nearly all available drugs is now being tested in people.
Nutrition professor answers: Does chicken soup really help when you’re sick?
Is chicken soup just a comforting placebo, providing psychological benefit while we’re sick, without an actual therapeutic effect?
Brain stimulation could boost learning
Noninvasive brain stimulation while a person learns a new task in VR can improve their performance in the “real world.”
Toddler thriving after world’s first partial heart transplant
A toddler born with faulty heart valves is thriving nearly two years after undergoing the world’s first partial heart transplant.
How does Alzheimer’s disease erode memory? New findings on risk gene offer insights
The strongest genetic predictor of Alzheimer’s disease is a variant of a gene called apolipoprotein E. Researchers are discovering why.
The most damaging exercise myth
It’s a common belief that it’s normal for adults to be less physically active as they age. This might be the most pernicious exercise myth.
New on/off switch in mRNA lets doctors “tune” gene therapy
A new kind of mRNA switch could give doctors the ability to precisely control the expression of therapeutic genes.
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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