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Biotechnology
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4th Industrial Revolution
Global Issue
Industry
Economy
4th Industrial Revolution
Biotechnology
Explore context
Science
There's a plan to bring mammoths back from extinction. Here's what you need to know
A US startup, Colossal Biosciences, has received $15 million in funding to bring woolly mammoths, who disappeared 4,000 years ago, back from extinction.
SDIS2021
How 4IR is enabling policy-making for a more sustainable and agile future
The application of 4IR and agile governance can equip governments to ‘turn the tide’ so businesses and public can transition to a sustainable future.
Biotechnology
Lessons learned from COVID-19 vaccines could advance synthetic biology. Here's how
Intellectual property waivers for COVID-19 vaccines could change the course of synthetic biology, enabling the democratic distribution of technologies.
Precision Medicine
Gene therapies could change millions of lives - so how will we pay for them?
Gene therapies can cost million of dollars. Kevin Doxzen explains why creative new payment systems are needed to help fund treatment.
Future of Health and Healthcare
This barnacle-inspired blood-repelling glue can seal wounds in 15 seconds
MIT researchers have designed a biocompatible glue which seals wounds, stops bleeding and can potentially be used on both internal and external wounds.
Vaccination
BioNTech: A new malaria vaccine could be on the horizon
BioNTech plans to start clinical testing by the end of 2022 for a new malaria vaccine, which aims to make the parasite visible and attackable when it enters the body.
Biotechnology
How pollution and other environmental effects can affect human DNA
Gene expression can be altered by environmental factors such as food, drugs or exposure to toxins - and these changes can be passed on to our children.
Biotechnology
Microfluidics: The next medical breakthrough you haven't heard of
Microfluids travel through channels thinner than a hair which can be made of glass, polymers, paper or gels and tiny valves can turn the flow on or off.
Global Health
The cells in our body have 'a license to die', protecting us from infectious diseases
When we contract infectious diseases such as the flu, our cells can die to stop pathogens in their tracks before they spread further through our body.
3D Printing
This ceramic ink can 3D-print bones directly into a patient’s body. Here’s how
Previously, bones that needed replacing would firstly need to be built in a laboratory. New technology means that, soon, it will be possible to ‘print’ bone tissue inside the body.
GTGS2021
Realizing the potential of synthetic biology to help people and the planet
Members of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council explore what's needed to realize synthetic biology's potential - and why we'll need to revisit and rethink the societal transfo...
Singapore
These hungry maggots are creating highly lucrative biomaterial
A Singaporean start-up has set up the country's first urban insect farm, which extracts biomaterials to be used in pharmaceuticals and electronics.
Arts and Culture
Hidden wonders - these photos of tiny things may have a big impact on you
The best photos of tiny things show nature’s beauty in stunning detail and could even help scientists find new treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Science
Inspired by kombucha tea, engineers create ‘living materials’
Engineers at MIT and Imperial College London have developed a new way to generate tough, functional materials inspired by kombucha tea's fermentation process.
Climate Change
Why mushroom mycelium could be your next house, handbag, or ‘hamburger’
Derived from fungus, mushroom mycelium is proving to be a sustainable alternative material – in the worlds of fashion, packaging, and food production.