{"id":111442,"date":"2024-09-23T11:55:30","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T15:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T09:07:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T13:07:40","slug":"biotech","status":"publish","type":"ftm_section","link":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/biotech","title":{"rendered":"Biotech"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Biotech<\/span><\/h1> <\/div>\n\n
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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.<\/span><\/div> <\/div>\n \n \n<\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\tFeatured\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n
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\n \n Engineering <\/a>\n<\/div> \n The left\u2013right twist that could rewrite tech <\/a>\n
\n Scientists are harnessing chirality \u2014 the left- and right-handedness of molecules \u2014 to build better batteries, sharper displays, and more. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Longevity progress is real. So are the scams. <\/a>\n
\n Longevity is in a paradoxical place at the moment, with anti-aging influencers misrepresenting real progress in order to make money. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n How a dog’s life could extend yours <\/a>\n
\n Studying animals \u2014 from long-lived clams to everyday dogs \u2014 is helping scientists understand aging and design therapies to slow decline. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\tPsychedelics & Mental Health\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n
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\n \n \"Wireframe <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Living longer \u2014 and healthier \u2014 starts with boosting your brain <\/a>\n
\n Science is beginning to unravel the reasons behind age-related cognitive decline \u2014 and what we can do about it. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n
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\n \n \"Abstract <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n AI <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Why AI gets stuck in infinite loops \u2014 but conscious minds don\u2019t <\/a>\n
\n Anil Seth suggests the difference is that living beings are rooted in time and entropy, a grounding that may be essential for consciousness. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n
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\n \n Neuroscience <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Inside a neuroscientist\u2019s quest to cure coma <\/a>\n
\n Thousands of Americans are trapped in disorders of consciousness. Neuroscientist Daniel Toker is searching for a way out. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\tBiohacking\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n
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\n \n The Great Progression <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Three founders look to the future at Freethink\u2019s inaugural Great Progression event <\/a>\n
\n The tech community came together for the launch of the Great Progression event series, curated by Peter Leyden and produced by Freethink. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n
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\n \n \"Stylized <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n Biohacking <\/a>\n<\/div> \n We\u2019re able to create new creatures through gene editing. What\u2019s stopping us? <\/a>\n
\n The question isn\u2019t whether we can sculpt new life. The question is what comes next. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n
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\n \n The Great Progression <\/a>\n<\/div> \n This conservationist is trying to bring extinct species back to life <\/a>\n
\n Ryan Phelan, co-founder of Revive & Restore, talks about the future of conservation at Freethink’s Great Progression event. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n
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\n \n AI <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Ray Kurzweil explains how AI makes radical life extension possible <\/a>\n
\n Life expectancy gains in developed countries have slowed in recent decades, but AI may be poised to transform medicine as we know it. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\tVaccines\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n
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\n \n Biology <\/a>\n<\/div> \n We purged worms from our bodies \u2014 and may have made ourselves sick <\/a>\n
\n Biotech labs are mining worm chemistry to design medicines that calm the immune system without the risks of live infection. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n
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\n \n Vaccines <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Personalized cancer vaccines are having a moment <\/a>\n
\n Personalized cancer vaccines were a recurring theme at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in 2024. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n
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\n \n Public Health <\/a>\n<\/div> \n The threat of avian flu \u2014 and what we can do to stop it <\/a>\n
\n Avian flu is infecting cows on US dairy farms, and now a person has caught it \u2014 but new research could help us avoid a bird flu pandemic. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\tMore\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n \n<\/a>\n
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\n \n \"Abstract <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Why tomorrow’s longevity treatments could be divided by sex <\/a>\n
\n Why women consistently outlive men is a mystery \u2014 and it may influence the future of longevity medicine. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n The longevity movement is growing \u2014 but it needs to go global <\/a>\n
\n Progress in longevity is real, but experts say the field needs government funding, policy reform, and public buy-in to reach its potential. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Experts weigh in on popular “anti-aging” treatments: real or scam? <\/a>\n
\n Experts cut through longevity hype, debunking supplements, IV drips, and cold plunges while pointing to what actually works. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Who wants to live forever? Not me. <\/a>\n
\n Most Americans remain wary of immortality, and research helps explain the mix of ethics, faith, and fear behind that resistance. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Aubrey de Grey: “We need a COVID-scale war on aging.” <\/a>\n
\n Biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey discusses the burgeoning longevity movement and barriers to its progress. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Retro Biosciences wants to add 10 healthy years to your life <\/a>\n
\n Backed by $180 million in funding from OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Joe Betts-LaCroix\u2019s Retro Biosciences is racing to extend the human healthspan. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n My time among the immortality tribe <\/a>\n
\n Field notes from Vitalist Bay, an 8-week longevity zone in Berkeley where CEOs, scientists, and activists united to fight aging. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Forget just living longer. Eric Topol wants to help Americans live better, too. <\/a>\n
\n In “Super Agers,” the writer and medical researcher maps a path to extending healthspan with AI, targeted drugs, and lifestyle changes. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n AI <\/a>\n<\/div> \n AI deadbots can keep \u201cyou\u201d around after death \u2014 what does that mean for the living? <\/a>\n
\n We can now use AI to create versions of real people that can live on long after their bodies die. But should we? <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Death <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Immortality isn\u2019t progress. It\u2019s paralysis. <\/a>\n
\n The pursuit of immortality ignores how death powers life\u2019s natural cycles, from cellular turnover to ecological renewal and adaptation. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Aging <\/a>\n<\/div> \n The promise of longevity: A future with more time \u2014 and more meaning <\/a>\n
\n An introduction to Freethink’s Longevity Issue: features, essays, and op-eds on the science, ethics, and promise of longer, healthier lives. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Death <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Groundhog Day and other eternal nightmares: Five philosophical takes on living forever <\/a>\n
\n From eternal recurrence to techno-dualism, five philosophical visions of immortality \u2014 and why most paths to forever end badly. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Biology <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Ancient Olympians wouldn\u2019t qualify for today\u2019s Games <\/a>\n
\n Across history, the human body has been reshaped by discipline, medicine, and now technology \u2014 each era redefining peak performance. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n \"Illustration <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n AI <\/a>\n<\/div> \n From cryonics to aging: How AI is transforming human health <\/a>\n
\n From curing rare diseases to extending lifespans, four biotech founders share how AI is rewriting the future of medicine. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n The Techno-Humanist Manifesto <\/a>\n<\/div> \n What if humans mastered every aspect of nature? <\/a>\n
\n A bold vision of a 10x better future where humanity has mastered biology, energy, and matter to unlock unprecedented progress. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n AI <\/a>\n<\/div> \n AI’s next frontier: Modeling life itself <\/a>\n
\n Biologists are skipping the petri dish and using AI-powered virtual cells to experiment in silico. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n AI <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Second opinions in the age of ChatGPT <\/a>\n
\n ChatGPT and other AI-powered tools are quietly reshaping how people interpret, challenge, and act on medical advice. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Misinformation <\/a>\n<\/div> \n How consensus can undermine science <\/a>\n
\n The main objective of consensus statements appears to be to reduce doubt, which may stifle scientific inquiry. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Video Games <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Pac-Man turned 45 today. The surgeon general once warned that playing it could make kids violent. <\/a>\n
\n Officials’ warnings about the impact of video games on kids were never proven true. They may be making the same mistake with social media. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Neuroscience <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Flexible brain implant takes major leap forward <\/a>\n
\n The FDA\u2019s clearance of Precision Neuroscience’s flexible electrode array pushes the startup ahead in the race to BCI commercialization. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n