The race is on to find a vaccine for COVID-19, but the process is complex and expensive. Here's what to know about how they're made and how long it takes.

Mark McCord 25 Mar 2020

COVID-19

Coronavirus origins: genome analysis suggests two viruses may have combined

Originally, scientists believed the virus may have developed in bats and later pangolins. However, genomic comparisons suggest that the SARS-Cov-2 virus is the result of a recombination b...

Alexandre Hassanin · The Conversation 20 Mar 2020

Healthy Futures

Rare diseases are more common than you might think

Hundreds of millions of people around the world live with debilitating conditions for which there are currently no effective treatments.

Sean Fleming 28 Feb 2020

Fourth Industrial Revolution

Hydrogel 'biofactories' could make meds in remote places

A new method for storing, producing and preserving medicine has the potential to transform health care delivery.

University of Washington · Futurity 17 Feb 2020

Oceans

This is why bionic jellyfish are the latest environmental tool for scientists

A prosthetic allows the jellyfish to swim three times faster. When combined with sensors, they could measure ocean conditions such as temperature, salinity, acidity, oxygen levels, nutrie...

Will Dunham · Reuters 13 Feb 2020

Fourth Industrial Revolution

How bionic jellyfish are boosting underwater research

Engineers at Caltech and Stanford University have developed a tiny, non-invasive prosthetic that helps jellyfish to swim faster and more efficiently.

Robert Perkins · Caltech 07 Feb 2020

Biotechnology

6 expert essays on the future of biotech

How will biotechnology transform our approach to human health? Scientists from the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council share key insights.

23 Jan 2020

Global Health

6 surprising places scientists are searching for new drugs

From the bottom of the sea, to the desert, scientists are looking for antibiotics and anticancer drugs in the most unlikely places.

Linamaria Pintor Escobar and Alba Iglesias Vilches · The Conversation 20 Dec 2019

Global Health

4 ways data is improving healthcare

Harnessing medical data can, and will, improve healthcare, writes GE Healthcare President and CEO Kieran Murphy in the Global Innovation Index 2019.

Global Innovation Index · Global Innovation Index 05 Dec 2019

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

This A.I. can predict how certain drug combos will best treat diseases

Tuberculosis kills 1.8 million people each year, and has 28 drugs used to treat it. When combined, there are over 24,000 three to four drug combinations.

Jim Lynch · Futurity 02 Dec 2019

Biotechnology

Chameleons’ speedy tongues inspired faster robots

Researchers have created new soft robots that operate at high speed using stored elastic energy, taking their inspiration from chameleons.

Chris Adam · Futurity 31 Oct 2019

Biotechnology

These 'biofoundries' use DNA to make natural products we need

From limitless spider silk to vaccines, biofoundries take advantage of nature's incredible capacity for building.

Paul Freemont, Natalie Curach, Douglas Friedman, and Sang Yup Lee 28 Oct 2019

Advanced Manufacturing and Production

This biotech company claims to have 3D printed a mini human heart

3D printing may have serious medical uses if this heart, as claimed, is fully functional - scientists have said the aim is to make it compatible with humans. It could also have cardio-tox...

Victor Tangermann · Futurism 10 Sep 2019

Fourth Industrial Revolution

Scientists are using gene-editing to create new materials for healthcare technology

Smart materials change properties in response to specific DNA sequences; could be used in a variety of devices.

Anne Trafton · MIT News 27 Aug 2019

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

New AI system could diagnose breast cancer much faster than experts

A new artificial intelligence system could help pathologists read biopsies more accurately, and lead to better detection and diagnosis of breast cancer, researchers say.

University of Washington 15 Aug 2019

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