Tag Archives: biotechnology

Medical microrobots are (still) on their way

Medical microrobots are (still) on their way

Okay, I know what you’re probably thinking. We’ve been hearing about the use of tiny robots in medicine for years, maybe even decades. And they’re still not here. Where are my medical microbots already? They’re coming, says Brad Nelson, who works in robotics at ETH Zürich. Soon. And they could be a game changer for […]

Meet the 2023 Innovators Under 35

Meet the 2023 Innovators Under 35

MIT Technology Review’s 2023 list of 35 Innovators Under 35 is now live. This annual list recognizes young entrepreneurs, researchers, and scientists working in some of the most promising areas of technology today. Explore the list and meet this year’s class of innovators, who are working across fields including artificial intelligence, climate and energy, biotechnology, […]

Two companies can now sell lab-grown chicken in the US

Two companies can now sell lab-grown chicken in the US

In June, the USDA granted approval for both companies’ labels, which allows them to sell their products under the name “cell-cultivated chicken.” Today’s green light is a grant of inspection, which allows the companies to start up their production facilities. With all these approvals in hand, Upside Foods and Eat Just can produce and sell […]

How scientists want to make you young again

How scientists want to make you young again

A little over 15 years ago, scientists at Kyoto University in Japan made a remarkable discovery. When they added just four proteins to a skin cell and waited about two weeks, some of the cells underwent an unexpected and astounding transformation: they became young again. They turned into stem cells almost identical to the kind […]

Inside the enigmatic minds of animals

Inside the enigmatic minds of animals

In stating his ambition to “explore their senses to better understand their lives,” Yong is true to his word. A longtime staffer for the Atlantic, he has an Attenborough-like talent for excavating simple stories from the unbounded mess of the natural world. A look at the eyes of scallops, for example, becomes a window through […]

Should we believe in — or even want — immortality?

Should we believe in — or even want — immortality?

Most of these trials are going to fail, Kirkland said. Most trials do. “People should try to be dispassionate, even though everyone has a stake in this game. I mean, every living person does.” I called the biologist Martin Raff, who retired from University College London 20 years ago, when he was not quite 65. […]

Why the sci-fi dream of cryonics never died

Why the sci-fi dream of cryonics never died

The environment was something of a shift for Drake, who had spent the previous seven years as the medical response director of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation. Though it was the longtime leader in cryonics, Alcor was still a small nonprofit. It had been freezing the bodies and brains of its members, with the idea […]

How AI could be used to make life and death decisions

How AI could be used to make life and death decisions

By the 2000s, an algorithm had been developed in the US to identify recipients for donated kidneys. But some people were unhappy with how the algorithm had been designed. In 2007, Clive Grawe, a kidney transplant candidate from Los Angeles, told a room full of medical experts that their algorithm was biased against older people […]

How Pfizer made an effective anti-covid pill

How Pfizer made an effective anti-covid pill

In a statement, the World Health Organization said it believes “prevention is better than cure” and that “these drugs will not be alternatives to vaccines.” The organization, based in Geneva, has yet to make a formal recommendation in favor of Paxlovid and says it wants to track whether side effects emerge. “It’s going to be […]

Can you spot the fake receptor? The coronavirus can’t either.

Can you spot the fake receptor? The coronavirus can’t either.

As covid-19 continues to evolve in the US, researchers are now developing the next generation of therapeutics, including a new approach that could help reduce the time it takes to recover from the disease. While existing treatments include antivirals, antibodies, and steroids, scientists in the US and Europe are now focusing on creating decoys of […]