The resulting crop could be more sustainable than current varieties — Reengineering Life is a column from Future Human about the ways humans are using biology to reprogram our bodies and the world around us. Thanks to selective breeding over the course of some 9,000 years, humans were able to transform an ancient wild grass with dinky cobs and a handful…

It would provide a first-line defense against the virus — Covid-19 vaccines are incredibly good at preventing severe symptoms and hospitalization, but they’re probably less effective at stopping transmission. To do that, we might need a different kind of vaccine altogether. Because SARS-CoV-2 is mainly transmitted through droplets and airborne aerosols, some scientists reason that a vaccine should provide first-line…

The research reignites a debate over embryo research — Reengineering Life is a column from Future Human about the ways humans are using biology to reprogram our bodies and the world around us. Under a microscope, the little balls of cells look like five-day-old human embryos, known as blastocysts. They’re similar in size, shape, and structure. They even have…

After we settle into a new normal, we shouldn’t forget the lessons of the past year — As I look back on the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, I can’t help but wonder why many of us weren’t more unsettled at the start of it all. In early January 2020, my editor messaged me about the reports of a mysterious pneumonia-like illness out of Wuhan, China. As…

One company is trying to get ahead of the mutating virus — When the pandemic first hit, drugmakers raced to find a Covid-19 treatment in the blood of people who had recovered from the virus. They were looking for antibodies — special immune cells that the body makes in response to an infection — capable of neutralizing the virus. Many scientists thought…

Everything you need to know about the experimental drug molnupiravir — Vaccines are being rolled out across the country, but many are still at risk of infection with Covid-19. Though there are no drugs available to take at home yet, a pill for the coronavirus may be on the horizon. An experimental drug meant to reduce the length of illness is…

A gene therapy injection eliminated pain in mice — Reengineering Life is a column from Future Human about the ways humans are using biology to reprogram our bodies and the world around us. In 2006, scientists described the curious case of a Pakistani boy who seemed immune to pain. The 10-year-old street performer amazed audiences by walking on burning…

T-cell vaccines involve a different kind of immune response — As the coronavirus mutates, a central question is whether our current vaccines will still be effective against emerging variants of the virus that are cropping up around the world. Some scientists are trying to get ahead of a changing coronavirus and build vaccines that would be virtually variant-proof. The current…

An early analysis shows that it helps prevent asymptomatic cases — We know that Moderna, Pfizer, and now Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccines are highly effective against preventing severe disease and hospitalizations. That’s a major win for public health and our strained health care system. But one of the biggest lingering questions about these vaccines is whether they also prevent people…