Monthly Issue
February 2026
The historic shift from studying life to engineering it.
A thousand years ago, we observed life. A hundred years ago, we began to unravel its code. Today, we can write that code ourselves. Armed with breakthroughs in AI, gene editing, and synthetic DNA, we’re entering a new era of biology — one with the potential to transform health, agriculture, and the planet itself. In this issue, we explore the bleeding edge of biotech, as well as the scientists, writers, and philosophers whose efforts helped get us here. Inside, scientist-turned-writer Alex Hutchinson uses the legend of Secretariat to probe the limits of human athletic performance. Futurist Peter Leyden examines how synthetic biology could help save Earth. And astrophysicist Ethan Siegel challenges the leading theory of how life began. All that and much, much more. We hope you enjoy.
Metabolism, not cells or genetics, may have begun life on Earth
A big open question in 21st-century science is how life began here on Earth. The metabolism-first scenario just might be the best one.
How bioengineering will help save the planet
New biotech tools could clean up everything from construction to agriculture.
5 sci-fi books that foreshadowed the future of biology
The “dystopian” biotech imagined in these novels is now changing real lives for the better.
Athletes keep breaking records — and they may never stop
Technology, shifting rules, and human ambition push athletes beyond biology’s perceived limits.
How to deter biothreats in the age of gene synthesis
From global DNA screening standards to safeguards for benchtop synthesizers and AI tools, a new biosecurity playbook is taking shape.
Snouters, dinosauroids, and other animals that never were
Speculative evolution explores the strange paths natural selection might have taken — and what that means for humans.
We still don’t understand human cell behavior. That’s about to change.
By treating the human body as an information system, scientists are using AI to simulate cells, visualize hidden biology, and detect disease at its earliest — and most preventable — stages.
Why organisms are more than machines
Sixty years ago, a little-known philosopher challenged how science understands life. His perspective is finding new relevance in the age of artificial intelligence.
5 sci-fi aliens — and the likelihood they could actually exist
Some sci-fi aliens are wildly implausible. Others aren’t so far-fetched.
How reading books regulates your nervous system
Books don’t just stimulate the mind — they trigger physiological changes throughout the body.
The biological necessity of boredom in the age of screens
“I call it a tyranny of attention because there’s so many demands on our attention coming from so many different directions that we are simply overwhelmed and we don’t have the mental bandwidth to cope with it.”
