Futurism
Viewpoint: Despite a sea of environmental activist disinformation, GMO plants have more than lived up to the hype
There is a great deal of misinformation out there regarding genetically modified organisms (GMOs). From monikers like "Frankenfoods" to general skepticism, there has ...
Experimental treatment using CRISPR to dramatically lower cholesterol under scrutiny after two patients suffer heart attacks and one dies
Researchers have been able to reduce bad cholesterol in human subjects after injecting them with an experimental gene editing treatment ...
If we gene hacked humanity to be more like our bonobo cousins, would militarism become obsolete (and sex more frequent)?
Bonobos are a species of primate believed to be humankind’s second-closest living ancestor. That’s intriguing, because zoologists have long observed ...
Taiwan Ironman project: Exoskeleton gives soldiers superstrength
Taiwan says it’s created a battery-powered exoskeleton suit that can allow its soldiers to run faster and carry heavy objects ...
80% less greenhouse emissions generated: The world’s first cell-based, lab grown meat factory just opened in Israel
Israeli biotech company Future Meat has opened what it claims to be the “world’s first industrial cultured meat facility,” a ...
Israeli scientists have used gene editing to extend the life expectancy of mice by 23 percent. Can it be done to humans?
Researchers at the Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel said they’ve been able to increase the supply of SIRT6, a protein ...
‘Gene hacking’ fall armyworm moths: Biotech company Oxitec behind Florida Keys gene drive mosquitoes approved for pest-release test run in Brazil
Oxitec, the British biotech firm behind the genetically engineered mosquitoes that just took flight in the Florida Keys [recently], is ...
Some Florida Key residents incensed about pending release of Zika- and malaria-stopping GMO mosquitoes, but others believe cutting-edge science will help control health menace
Oxitec will release half a billion gene-hacked mosquitoes, engineered to kill off the local bloodsucker population along a lengthy swathe ...
GM trees that suck up more CO2 could help stem growing threat of climate change
In order to fight the growing threat of global climate change, scientists are now suggesting that we genetically modify trees ...
‘Regulatory Wild West? DNA startups claim they can assess sexual preferences, depression risk, longevity and drinking proclivity
Genomelink is just one of a growing number of shady DNA testing startups now operating in the regulatory Wild West ...
Why China’s willingness to push ethical boundaries with CRISPR research ‘could end up benefiting us all’
Today, [China] serves as the global center for CRISPR animal experiments, with its scientists being the first to use the ...
Rapid mutation: Why future Mars’ colonists could evolve into a ‘completely different species’
In a new interview with Inverse, evolutionary biologist and Rice University professor Scott Solomon thinks it’s worth asking what will happen to Mars colonists in ...
Video: Tomorrow’s crops could be grown indoors, without soil or pesticides
As the world's population grows and climate change accelerates, farmers are increasingly turning to biotechnology, engineering and data science to ...
Computer modeled on biological brains could ‘jump-start’ new era in AI research
A new research project aims to harness the power of quantum computers to build a new type of neural network — work the ...
Video: Lab-grown human heart tissue beats ‘like the real thing’
A tiny pulsing strip of muscle could help save the lives of 33 million people. That’s how many people suffer ...
Is a robotic dog as good as the real thing?
Scientists have long understood the psychological benefits of computerized companions. Studies have shown they can help combat loneliness among the elderly, motivate students in ...
Life in a coma: Can a machine tell us whether someone will ever wake up?
When somebody falls into a coma, they lose all motor functions. Brain activity slows significantly. In most cases, no external ...
Electrical stimulation to the spine helps paralyzed man walk with assistance
For many patients, total lower limb paralysis caused by spinal cord damage means a lifetime in a wheelchair. But a ...
E-tattoos? 3D printable electronics could make them possible
In April [2018], Michael McAlpine, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Minnesota, published a study in the journal Advanced Materials in which he ...
Viewpoint: Everyone needs to feel the benefits of an ‘AI-reliant society’
[A]rtificial intelligence technology could actually boost the global economy. If it’s allowed to play a major role, AI will make our ...
Giving artificial intelligence a ‘memory’ and why that’s so remarkable
AI systems’ tendency to forget the things it previously learned upon taking on new information is called catastrophic forgetting. … For ...
Could artificial intelligence protect the world from humanity’s ‘shortsightedness’?
There are fears that tend to come up when people talk about futuristic artificial intelligence — say, one that could ...
Pursuing artificial intelligence that’s free of bias
As the problems caused by algorithmic bias have bubbled to the surface, experts have proposed all sorts of solutions on how to make ...
Base Editing: New CRISPR technique could improve ability to safely edit human embryos
A new CRISPR technique could prevent humans from passing on a potentially life-threatening disorder, according to Chinese researchers. An estimated ...
Can we fine-tune drug doses with the help of artificial intelligence?
Patients with glioblastoma, a malignant tumor in the brain or spinal cord, typically live no more than five years after ...
Would you watch a movie written and animated by artificial intelligence?
The next time you sit down to watch a movie, the algorithm behind your streaming service might recommend a blockbuster ...
We finally have our first smallpox treatment—just in case
Fear of another smallpox pandemic keep you up at night? You’ll be happy to hear the FDA approved tecovirimat (Tpoxx) on [July 13]. It’s ...
Live to 150? AI suggests it’s possible, but not without clearing huge ‘hurdles’
[Scientist Alex Zhavoronkov] firmly believes that aging research is the most important field of science right now. In the past, ...