Dhruv Khullar

In the coming years, an unprecedented number of people will leave planet Earth—but it’s becoming increasingly clear that deep space will make us sick.

A scientist tried to discredit the theory that ultra-processed foods are killing us. Instead, he overturned his own understanding of obesity.

A scientist tried to discredit the theory that ultra-processed foods are killing us. Instead, he overturned his own understanding of obesity.

Studies increasingly suggest that a healthy nation depends on a healthy democracy.

The A.I. revolution is coming to a pharmacy near you.

After the debate, Axios reported that before 10 A.M. and after 4 P.M. the President tends to tire and misspeak; Biden, who is eighty-one, said at a press conference, “I just got to pace myself a little more.” Meanwhile, supporters tried to excuse his performance by invoking jet lag, a cold, a busy schedule, poor preparation, too much preparation, and a blanket shield of “good days and bad days.” These are the kinds of difficult conversations one has when considering whether one’s grandfather can…

Rise of the Nanomachines

Influenza is a promiscuous pathogen. Its potential to unleash pandemics is due partly to the modular structure of its genome, which allows it to swap segments of its genetic material wholesale when different versions of the virus co-infect a cell. This occurred in the mid-nineties, when H5N1 was first isolated, from a goose in southern China, and went on to infect some twenty per cent of the poultry in Hong Kong markets, precipitating the slaughter of more than a million and a half chickens. In…

Many of us have come to expect that our bodies and minds will deteriorate in our final years—that we may die feeble, either dependent or alone. Paradoxically, this outcome is a kind of success. For most of history, humans didn’t live long enough to confront the ailments of old age. In 1900, a baby born in the U.S. could expect to live just forty-seven years, and one in five died before the age of ten. But twentieth-century victories against infectious diseases—in the form of sanitation, antibiot…

One afternoon, while listening to a business podcast, Crownholm heard about a company called Prenuvo, which promises to help patients take control of their health. For twenty-five hundred dollars, Prenuvo will generate magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, from your head to your ankles, and analyze the results for abnormalities. Images of Crownholm’s insides sounded like the perfect addition to his regimen; he signed up before Prenuvo had even opened a facility in Los Angeles, where he lives. “I f…