September 27, 2024
(Wired) – This morning, surgeons at the University of Manchester temporarily placed a thin, Scotch-tape-like implant made of graphene on the patient’s cortex—the outermost layer of the brain. Made by Spanish company InBrain Neuroelectronics, the technology is a type of … Read More
September 26, 2024
(MIT Technology Review) – In the decade-long fight to control CRISPR, the super-tool for modifying DNA, it’s been common for lawyers to try to overturn patents held by competitors by pointing out errors or inconsistencies. But now, in a surprise … Read More
September 25, 2024
(Wired) – Neurable’s MW75 Neuro is an everyday brain-computer interface that aims to boost your productivity. It also raises questions about data privacy. Today, Boston-based company Neurable announced the launch of its smart headphones, dubbed the MW75 Neuro, which use … Read More
September 17, 2024
(Tech Crunch) – Neuralink, the Elon Musk-owned brain-computer interface company, on Tuesday received “breakthrough device” clearance from the FDA. But this does not mean the outfit has developed a cure for blindness, no matter what Musk might say. The breakthrough … Read More
September 16, 2024
(New York Times) – Kendric Cromer, 12, is among the first patients to be treated with gene therapy just approved by the F.D.A. that many other patients face obstacles to receiving. Last December, the Food and Drug Administration gave approval … Read More
September 16, 2024
(Wired) – Neuralink rival Synchron is connecting its brain–computer interface with consumer technologies to allow people with paralysis more functionality. Mark, a 64-year-old with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, uses Amazon Alexa all the time using his voice. But now, … Read More
September 13, 2024
(ABC News) – A San Jose-based biotechnology company that helps doctors detect genetic causes for cancer is among those that could be cut out of the U.S. market over ties to China A California biotechnology company that helps doctors detect … Read More
September 9, 2024
(New York Times) – A generation ago, bioethicists fought over whether assisted reproductive technology would be normalized or made taboo. Now there’s strong public consensus that it should be not only tolerated but also celebrated. But this may be a … Read More
September 9, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – More companies and government agencies out in the wild want to read our body parts. The Transportation Security Administration, for example, started scanning passengers’ faces instead of checking IDs. These groups say the biometric processes are … Read More
September 9, 2024
(USA Today via Yahoo! News) – Doritos are a revered snack for many. Now, scientists have found one of the ingredients in the triangle-shaped tasty tortilla chips has a superpower – it can make the skin of mice transparent. (Read … Read More
September 3, 2024
(NBC News) – Four people have received hearts or kidneys from pigs. Some of their relatives recount a roller coaster of hope and uncertainty. Three other patients have followed in Bennett Sr.’s footsteps and received pig organs, most recently a … Read More
September 2, 2024
(New Scientist) – Stem cells made in the lab may one day aid cancer treatment by reducing our reliance on donors Human blood stem cells have been made in a laboratory for the first time, which could significantly improve how … Read More
August 29, 2024
(MIT Technology Review) – When someone loses part of a leg, a prosthetic can make it easier to get around. But most prosthetics are static, cumbersome, and hard to move. Now a new neural interface developed by MIT researchers and … Read More
August 28, 2024
(The Verge) – The Stelo is unique in that it’s one of three FDA-cleared over-the-counter [Continuous Glucose Monitors]. (The other two are from Abbott.) Typically, CGMs have been used by Type 1 diabetics — those who produce little to no … Read More
August 27, 2024
(MIT Technology Review) – The longevity scene is having a moment, thanks to a combination of scientific advances, public interest, and an unprecedented level of investment. A few key areas of research suggest that we might be able to push … Read More
August 26, 2024
(ABC News) – As the world experiences more record high temperatures, employers are exploring wearable technologies to keep workers safe. New devices collect biometric data to estimate core body temperature – an elevated one is a symptom of heat exhaustion … Read More
August 26, 2024
(Axios) – Biosecurity experts are calling on governments to set new guardrails in an effort to limit the risks posed by advanced AI models being applied to biology. Why it matters: AI models trained on genetic sequences have double-edged potential … Read More
August 22, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – In March, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface company Neuralink introduced its first human trial participant, a quadriplegic who showed the world how he could control a computer cursor with just his thoughts. On Wednesday, the company said … Read More
August 22, 2024
(MIT Technology Review) – Futurists who write about the destiny of humankind have imagined all sorts of changes. We’ll all be given auxiliary chromosomes loaded with genetic goodies, or maybe we’ll march through life as a member of a pod … Read More
August 19, 2024
(Undark) – In a June essay in The New England Journal of Medicine, Hendriks and a co-author, Christine Grady, outlined some of the thorny ethical questions related to brain research: What is the best way to protect the long-term interests … Read More
August 19, 2024
(New York Times) – In a new frontier for deep brain stimulation, researchers used A.I. to develop individualized algorithms, which helped a skateboarder and other patients with Parkinson’s disease. In the study, which was published Monday in the journal Nature … Read More
August 16, 2024
(MIT Technology Review) – The US government just hired a researcher who thinks we can beat aging with fresh cloned bodies and brain updates. A US agency pursuing moonshot health breakthroughs has hired a researcher advocating an extremely radical plan … Read More
August 16, 2024
(The Conversation) – I’m a medical anthropologist and bioethicist who studies the values and experiences driving prenatal gene therapy developments, including genome editing. Human prenatal genome editing has not happened yet – as far as we know. Prenatal genome editing … Read More
August 15, 2024
(The Atlantic) – As artificial limbs become more advanced, branding is becoming almost inescapable. Bionic (or myoelectric) limbs, which are operated by muscle and nerve impulses to more closely mimic the movements and operation of a real limb, have evolved … Read More
August 15, 2024
(Reuters) – A man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who had lost his ability to speak has been able to communicate with a Blackrock Neurotech text-to-speech brain implant, researchers said in one of two new studies showing the promise of … Read More
