Biology’s New Era
The historic shift from studying life to engineering it.
Hey Big Thinkers,
A hundred years ago, an injury as small as a scraped knee could be deadly — but then scientists figured out how to manufacture antibiotics at scale, sending death rates from bacterial infections plummeting.
The age of antibiotics was a turning point in biology, and the field is now on the brink of another major shift, one powered by breakthroughs like CRISPR, synthetic DNA, and AI — and it promises to transform not just human health, but agriculture, energy, and even Earth itself.
This week, Big Think published “Biology’s New Era,” a theme issue exploring this moment and the scientists, writers, and philosophers whose work brought us to it. Below, you’ll find a taste of what’s in the issue, including an exploration of humanity’s athletic limits, the latest efforts to deter bioweapons, and the sci-fi genre shaping how we see aliens — and ourselves.
We hope you enjoy the issue, which was made possible with support from Biohub, an organization that — like Big Think — believes technology can help us build a healthier future. You can read more about how Biohub is using AI to unlock the mysteries of biology in this article.
Read on,
Kristin
THE BIG HEART
Athletes keep breaking records — and they may never stop
By Alex Hutchinson
A post-mortem exam of Secretariat revealed that the champion racehorse’s heart was about 2.5 times heavier than the average thoroughbred’s — just one of several physical anomalies that contributed to his success on the track. Decades later, Secretariat’s records still stand, suggesting he was as good as horses get. In this piece, science journalist Alex Hutchinson explores whether humans will ever hit our own ceiling in athletic performance — or whether the power of the human brain will keep us breaking records forever.
THE BIG THREAT
How to deter a biothreat in the age of gene synthesis
By Jen Kirby
Big Think chose “Biology’s New Era” as its theme for February because we wanted to highlight a profound shift happening right now: Armed with CRISPR, synthetic DNA, and other new tools, scientists are poised to solve some of the biggest problems in health, agriculture, energy, and more. But these same tools can cause problems by making it easier for bad actors to create and deploy bioweapons. In this reported feature, journalist Jen Kirby talks to biosecurity experts to find out what can be done to ensure we preserve the promise of modern biotech while minimizing its risks.
Presented by Biohub
Entering the age of programmable biology
Transforming biological matter into programmable matter capable of sensing, reporting, and treating disease within our bodies — only where and when it’s needed. Meet the scientists behind the new era
of AI-powered biology.
THE BIG HOAX
Snouters, dinosauroids, and other animals that never were
By Thomas Moynihan
In 1957, a respected German publisher released the first-ever book about rhinogrades, an order of mammals characterized by their remarkable noses. An escaped POW had stumbled upon the creatures while stranded in the South Pacific in the 1940s, and the book’s author, Harald Stümpke, catalogued in meticulous scientific detail the more than 100 species subsequently identified. But here’s the thing: Stümpke doesn’t exist, and neither do rhinogrades — both were the invention of German zoologist Gerolf Steiner. As historian Thomas Moynihan writes in this essay, the hoax was eventually revealed, launching a new subgenre of science fiction with surprising implications for our hunt for extraterrestrial life.
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Kristin Houser is the managing editor at Big Think.
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It is amazing how much we know and can do for the living world. It reveals our limitations in enacting the right policy, but the nature of biology is to be curious and that might be its greatest benefit.
Fascinating selection of articles, thank ye.
Just please, please keep AI away from the Arts.