Science & Tech

Science & Tech

Explore the discoveries that reveal how the world works, alongside the technologies that extend, reshape, and sometimes challenge what’s possible.

T-Minus
Freethink's weekly countdown of the biggest space news, featuring a stranded space factory, Jeff Bezos' new moon lander, and more.
A variety of fructose-rich foods and drinks on a table.
A new hypothesis accuses the simple sugar of wrecking energy metabolism.
EBT-101 is not the only candidate for an HIV cure. Stem cell transplants, medications, and other CRISPR therapies are being researched.
A statue of three monkeys covering their faces.
We all have a place in our lives where we look the other way and pretend everything is fine. It's a built-in excuse to act selfishly.
A group of planets in space with a sun in the background.
The TRAPPIST-1 system is a treasure trove of possibilities and questions. Observations by JWST have just begun.
A group of people sleeping on a train.
Lucid dreamers may have “privileged access to their inner world,” with “heightened awareness… to the outside world.”
A drawing of a cell highlighting various organelles.
Scientists agree that eons ago, a bacterium took up residence inside another cell and became its powerhouse, the mitochondrion. But there are competing theories about the birth of other organelles such as the nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum.
A person in a protective suit working in a mRNA vaccine factory.
AI was key to making Moderna's COVID mRNA vaccine. Its role in mRNA therapeutics will rapidly grow in the coming years.
A man consuming capsaicin-rich chili peppers in a vibrant red field.
Capsaicin is already used to treat nerve pain. Early research hints it could do more.
ancient technology
These astounding inventions show that civilizations of the past were a lot more advanced than we might have thought.
A cluster of black holes in space.
For the first time, astronomers have created a data-driven estimate for how many black holes are in our Universe: more than anyone expected.
A painting of a group of men examining a cadaver
"Burke's the butcher, Hare's the thief, and Knox the man who buys the beef." Read the story of 19th-century Scotland's corpse dealers.
An image of a rocket taking off.
See the 3 biggest space stories from October 16-22, 2023.
The rocky horror show poster.
"Time Warp" all the way back to 1800s spiritualism, magic performances, and spook shows.
An image of the Martian surface.
Sophisticated rovers have found the conditions for Martian life, as well as the building blocks of life, but never life itself. AI can help.
Friedmann equation
If you said "with the Big Bang," congratulations: that was our best answer as of ~1979. Here's what we've learned in all the time since.