Biotechnology

Biotechnology

Green decorative geometric shape with the text "Rewriting the Rules of Life" written in black serif font across the center on a light green background.
15mins
“Until very recently, I thought I would die with the same genome that I was born with.”
A woman sits in a chair facing a group of people seated on the floor in a casual indoor setting, with a vintage or sepia filter adding an air of longevity to the scene.
From treating specific diseases to targeting aging itself, Progress Conference 2025 explored the many routes to extending life.
A close up of a hand.
13mins
“Over the last 10 or 15 years, scientists have really started to understand the fundamental underlying biology of the aging process. And they broke this down into 12 hallmarks of aging.”
Illustration of a hand holding a pen, drawing a DNA double helix made of colored dots on a dark background.
It's time to write the human genome, argues microbiologist Andrew Hessel.
Close-up of a human eye with a digital interface overlay and a red laser beam targeting the pupil, illustrating the science of LASIK and advanced vision correction technology.
For many of us, our imperfect vision compels us to wear corrective lenses to see properly. Here's what everyone should know about LASIK.
Three different 3D protein structures are displayed on a light grid-patterned background, each occupying a separate quadrant in the image.
By inviting players to tackle real scientific problems, games can offer a hand in solving medicine’s toughest challenges.
Image split in half: left side shows a woolly mammoth in a natural landscape; right side shows an illustrated mammoth skeleton on a yellow background.
Dreams of resurrecting lost species didn’t start in Hollywood or Silicon Valley.
Collage of a snarling wolf, a stock market graph, and abstract shapes, overlaid with the bold text "The Night Crawler" hints at de-extinction possibilities.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
A gloved hand holds a smoking test tube with tongs against a dark background.
Other plans for the tech: organ banking and deep space travel.
A person seated in a wheelchair uses a communication device with a Stephen Hawking-like voice, blurred flowers gently framing the scene in the foreground.
Hawking’s refusal to upgrade his communication system preserved a voice that became iconic, not just for its sound, but for the profound identity it conveyed.
A digital illustration of a human brain with blue veins and a glowing light at the top, set against a black background.
“Neurotech is not just about the brain,” says Synchron CTO Riki Banerjee, explaining how their tech can help with paralysis, brain diseases, and beyond.
A healthcare worker wearing blue gloves gently inserts an IV into a man's hand as he lies on a hospital bed, battling lung cancer.
For a substantial part of human history, people thought smoking tobacco was perfectly healthy. Native American tribes, who introduced the tobacco plant to Europeans and — by extension, the rest […]
People walking on a city street with steam rising from vents create a scene reminiscent of an omics exposome research study. A woman in a white beanie looks back as buildings and traffic form the vibrant backdrop.
Of the millions of substances people encounter daily, health researchers have focused on only a few hundred. Those in the emerging field of exposomics want to change that.
Close-up of a colorful microchip wafer with geometric patterns and reflective surfaces.
Hang on to something — or ride the wave — because three big tech trends are about to converge.
A gloved hand holds a small vial in front of a colorful, blurred background resembling a DNA sequence.
"The promise of the Human Genome Project has finally arrived."
A close-up of gloved hands handling a cryogenic storage device with straw container tubes inside, emitting visible vapor.
How technology could change everything we thought we knew about reproduction.
A black-and-white portrait of a man with curly hair, glasses, and a beard is centered against a green and blue background with abstract DNA helix patterns, representing leadership essentials.
Benjamin Oakes — CEO of buzz-worthy biotech company Scribe Therapeutics — joins Big Think for a chat about innovation, human endeavor, and more.
Close-up view of a translucent, flatfish-like biohybrid organism with a thin body and short, spiky fins suspended in clear liquid against a plain background.
As creatures and machines meld together in increasingly advanced forms, ethicists are starting to take note.
Illustration of a hand cutting red tape with scissors over a government building labeled "National of Health.
There is one obstacle that reliably blocks innovative ideas: how we fund science.
A red hourglass sits against a background of swirling purple patterns.
Kurzweil predicts that AI will combine with biotechnology to defeat degenerative diseases this decade. Then things will get really interesting.
A collage of agricultural imagery including a drone, fields, tomatoes, a plant sprout diagram, and various charts and graphs related to farming data.
Hunger rates are rising. These technologies could turn the tide.
A 3D structural representation of a protein with intertwined helices and strands, depicted in shades of pink and purple, set against a black background.
"By 2040, we hope to see a number of new drugs that have been designed with AI reaching patients."
A 3D molecular model showing a complex structure of intertwined green proteins and grey DNA strands on a black background.
Profluent’s new platform is like ChatGPT for genetic technology.
Two images of shark embryos against a black background, showing developmental stages with visible internal structures.
A study of spinal development took a strange turn and made a surprise discovery.
Transparent perfume bottle surrounded by floating pink spheres with intricate patterns on a dark background.
Vaccines targeting some of our deadliest cancers are showing promise in early trials.
Microscopic image of a small electronic component with clear details of its structure and connections against a gray background.
What would it take to create a truly intelligent microbot, one that can operate independently?
Hands sifting through a collection of black and white photographs against an abstract artistic backdrop, each image reminiscent of treatments for Alzheimer's.
The sober reality behind the effectiveness of two new drugs touted as Alzheimer's breakthroughs: lecanemab and donanemab.
A close up of a red blood cell containing stem cells.
Long overlooked, menstrual stem cells could have important medical applications, including diagnosing endometriosis
An image of a man punching a ball.
They call it “Judo T-cell therapy,” and it’s 100 times more potent than regular CAR-T cells.
A person holding a small key in their hand.
The brain-computer interface will be tested in a six-year trial in patients with quadriplegia.