<h2>Splinter Cell</h2>
Scientists say they&#8217;ve gene-hacked a human cell, using CRISPR tech to turn it into a tiny biological computer complete with the cellular analog of dual core processors.
The squishy little CPUs could eventually lead to powerful computers housed entirely within a cell, <a href="https://newatlas.com/crispr-cell-computer/59336/">according to New Atlas</a>, that would detect and treat diseases.
<h2>Logic Gates</h2>
The cellular computers, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/15/7214#abstract-2">described in research</a> published in the journal PNAS this month, mimic the normal process by which organisms turn genetic information into the proteins that carry out specific tasks within a cell.
The computer is programmed to take in specific genetic codes and perform computations that result in the production of a particular protein. Except instead of simply following the DNA&#8217;s genetic code as a cell does, the computer receives two inputs and combines them, calculating the correct protein to churn out.
<h2>Targeted Medicine</h2>
The researchers behind the cellular computers say that they could be programmed to scan for certain biomarkers signifying the <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/new-crispr-tech-cure-herpes">presence of a disease</a> and, if all the right conditions are met, mass produce molecules or proteins that could help treat it, according to New Atlas.
&#8220;Imagine a microtissue with billions of cells, each equipped with its own dual-core processor,&#8221; MIT researcher Martin Fussenegger told New Atlas. &#8220;Such &#8216;computational organs&#8217; could theoretically attain computing power that far outstrips that of a digital supercomputer — and using just a fraction of the energy.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://newatlas.com/crispr-cell-computer/59336/">CRISPR used to build dual-core computers inside human cells</a> [New Atlas]
More on CRISPR: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/new-crispr-tech-cure-herpes">New CRISPR Tech Could Cure Herpes</a>

Welcome to the world of 'computational organs.'

Scientists used CRISPR to turn a cell into a biological computer

Cell Out

Using CRISPR gene editing tools, MIT scientists turned a human cell into a tiny computer that could be used to detect diseases and churn out treatments.

Scientists Used CRISPR to Turn a Cell Into a Biological Computer

"Imagine a microtissue with billions of cells, each equipped with its own dual-core processor."

<h2>Internal Review</h2>
After media revealed that Chinese scientist He Jiankui had conducted research that led to the birth of gene-hacked babies, it soon emerged that he had corresponded about the controversial work with American scientists.
Three of those scientists are from Stanford University, but an internal investigation conducted by the university just cleared all three of wrongdoing, <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/613323/stanford-has-cleared-its-professors-over-the-crispr-baby-scandal/">according to the MIT Technology Review</a>. While the school&#8217;s faculty knew about the controversial and illegal research, the university maintains that they didn&#8217;t contribute to it.
<h2>Insider Knowledge</h2>
The three Stanford professors <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/stanford-probes-faculty-gene-hacked">named in the investigation</a> are Stephen Quake, He&#8217;s former employer, William Hurlbut, who <a href="https://futurism.com/gene-edited-baby-due">dropped the news</a> that a second gene-edited baby was on the way, and geneticist Matthew Porteus.
The three scientists all allegedly knew about He&#8217;s research but didn&#8217;t directly participate, <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2019/04/16/stanford-statement-fact-finding-review-related-dr-jiankui/">according to a statement</a> released by Stanford on Tuesday. The statement goes even further, stating that the American researchers shared their concerns with He and that they were misled to believe that He had been granted institutional approval before beginning his experiments.
Missing from the statement, however, is any recommendation on what scientists ought to do when faced with research like He&#8217;s — though the bar seems to be set, implicitly, at not actively taking part.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/613323/stanford-has-cleared-its-professors-over-the-crispr-baby-scandal/">Stanford has cleared its professors over the CRISPR baby scandal</a> [MIT Technology Review]
More on CRISPR babies: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/stanford-probes-faculty-gene-hacked">Stanford Probes Faculty Who Knew About Gene-Hacked Chinese Babies</a>

The scientists knew about the research but didn't directly participate, which is apparently good enough.

Stanford declines to punish faculty for CRISPR babies

Stanford Says Stanford Is Good

After conducting an internal investigation into three professors who knew about He Jiankui's CRISPR baby research, Stanford let its faculty off the hook.

Stanford Declines to Punish Faculty For CRISPR Babies

They knew about it beforehand, but did nothing to stop it.

<h2>Hunter-Seeker</h2>
Gene hacking techniques that were recently used in human cells for the first time could someday let doctors shred up and destroy viruses like herpes or hepatitis B inside human cells, scientists say.
The new technique is called CRISPR-Cas3 — usually, when you hear about CRISPR tech, it&#8217;s the Cas9 variety — and Cornell researchers believe it could be used to cure viral diseases, according to a <a href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2019/04/crispr-cas3-innovation-holds-promise-disease-cures-advancing-science">university-published press release</a>.
<h2>DNA Shredder</h2>
The scientists used Cas3 to <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/crispr-cas3-shredder-human-cells">identify and shred</a> long stretches of human DNA, <a href="https://www.cell.com/molecular-cell/fulltext/S1097-2765(19)30217-5#%20">according to research</a> published in the journal Molecular Cell last week. The new gene-hacking tool makes more and broader cuts in genetic material than CRISPR-Cas9, meaning it could let scientists quickly learn what specific, long stretches of genetic information do and how they interact with certain diseases.
It also means that the gene-hacking tool could attack and shred viral DNA.
&#8220;My lab spent the past ten years figuring out how CRISPR-Cas3 works. I am thrilled that my colleagues and I finally demonstrated its genome editing activity in human cells,&#8221; said Cornell molecular biologist Ailong Ke. &#8220;Our tools can be made to target these viruses very specifically and then erase them very efficiently. In theory, it could provide a cure for these viral diseases.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2019/04/crispr-cas3-innovation-holds-promise-disease-cures-advancing-science">CRISPR-Cas3 innovation holds promise for disease cures, advancing science</a> [Cornell Chronicle]
More on CRISPR-Cas3: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/crispr-cas3-shredder-human-cells">Researchers use CRISPR &#8220;Shredder&#8221; on Human DNA for First Time</a>

"My lab spent the past ten years figuring out how CRISPR-Cas3 works. I am thrilled that my colleagues and I finally demonstrated its genome editing activity in human cells."

New CRISPR tech could cure herpes

Gene Hacking

Cornell scientists developed a new type of gene-hacking technology that acts like a DNA "shredder." It could be used to cure diseases like herpes.

New CRISPR Tech Could Cure Herpes

CRISPR-Cas3 can target and erase viruses in human cells — including, potentially, herpes.

<h2>Follow-Up</h2>
New research suggests that fecal transplants can reduce the severity of conditions associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) — and that the changes last several years after the transplants.
Back in 2017, Arizona State University conducted a study on children with ASD of varying severity. Now, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-42183-0">research published Tuesday</a> in the journal Scientific Reports shows that the reduction in ASD symptoms persisted for two years after the fact, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/health/microbiome-brain-behavior-dementia.html">further demonstrating the link</a> between the gut microbiome and the brain.
<h2>Drastic Change</h2>
In <a href="https://futurism.com/new-study-supports-the-link-between-autism-and-gut-microbes">the original study</a>, 15 of the 18 children had what was considered severe autism, with difficulty communicating and handling social interactions. Two years after the study, which involved eight weeks of fecal transplants that reintroduced a greater variety of healthy microbial flora into the participants&#8217; gastrointestinal tracts, only three participants still fall within the &#8220;severe&#8221; classification, according to the research.
&#8220;We are finding a very strong connection between the microbes that live in our intestines and signals that travel to the brain,&#8221; Arizona scientist Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown <a href="https://newatlas.com/fecal-transplants-autism-symptoms-reduction/59278/">told New Atlas</a>. &#8220;Two years later, the children are doing even better, which is amazing.&#8221;
<h2>Early Days</h2>
The scientists are now working to design a larger and more thorough clinical trial in hopes of getting their treatment approved for use by the FDA, according to New Atlas.
And while the goal isn&#8217;t to &#8220;cure&#8221; a condition that <a href="https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/should-autism-be-cured-or-is-curing-offfensive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some argue</a> doesn&#8217;t need curing, this study suggests that fecal transplants could someday provide people with a way to help children with specific communicative or social difficulties.
READ MORE: <a href="https://newatlas.com/fecal-transplants-autism-symptoms-reduction/59278/">Fecal transplants result in massive long-term reduction in autism symptoms</a> [New Atlas]
More on fecal transplants: <a href="https://futurism.com/new-study-supports-the-link-between-autism-and-gut-microbes">New Study Supports the Link Between Autism and Gut Microbes</a>

"We are finding a very strong connection between the microbes that live in our intestines and signals that travel to the brain. Two years later, the children are doing even better, which is amazing."

Fecal transplants reduce symptoms of Autism long term

Poop Pill

A new study shows that fecal transplants of healthy gut flora can help reduce the more severe symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Fecal Transplants Reduce Symptoms of Autism Long Term

New research cements the link between the gut and the brain.

<h2>Side Hustle</h2>
A father and son team from Michigan were just charged for illegally selling human body parts — and failing to disclose that the corpses carried infectious diseases.
The duo, both named Donald Greene, sold bodies that <a href="https://futurism.com/refurbished-organs-save-millions/">people donated</a> to the Biological Resource Center of Illinois for the purpose of furthering scientific research, <a href="https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/04/09/arthur-rathburn-donald-greene-jr-sr-body-part-brokering/">according to CBS Chicago</a>.
<h2>No Returns</h2>
The family sold body parts to medical clinics such as the Detroit Medical Center&#8217;s sports medicine department between 2008 and 2014, according to the station, sometimes for up to $100,000 per CBS.
But they also failed to disclose that they were selling body parts that had tested positive for diseases including HIV, hepatitis, and sepsis, CBS reports.
<h2>Technicality</h2>
Strangely enough, selling body parts isn&#8217;t strictly illegal.
But selling bodies that had been donated for medical research constitutes fraud, according to the federal prosecutors who charged the Greenes, and failing to disclose the infections was against the law. Greene Sr. has been charged with wire fraud, and Jr. with concealing a crime.
READ MORE: <a href="https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/04/09/arthur-rathburn-donald-greene-jr-sr-body-part-brokering/">Father And Son Charged With Selling Diseased Body Parts In Alleged Brokering Scheme</a> [CBS Chicago]
More on body parts: <a href="https://futurism.com/freezing-donated-organs-arigos">Freezing And Storing Donated Organs Could Eliminate Some Transplant Waitlists</a>

Selling bodies on its own wasn't illegal.

Family caught selling diseased body parts to medical centers

Rise And Grind

A father and son team was just charged with fraud and concealing a crime for their six-year black market operation where they sold human body parts.

Family Caught Selling Diseased Body Parts to Medical Centers

People thought they were donating their bodies to science.

<h2>Twin Study</h2>
For years, NASA has been analyzing the health effects of space travel by comparing astronaut twins Mark and Scott Kelly. In 2015 into 2016, Scott spent 340 days in orbit while Mark stayed on Earth, giving scientists rare data about how leaving the planet affects the human body.
The study, finally <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6436/eaau8650">published Thursday</a> in the journal Science, reveals that Scott experienced a number of genetic changes while he was in space. Surprisingly, most of them reversed once he landed back on Earth, the MIT Technology Review <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613291/the-first-study-of-a-twin-in-space-looks-like-good-news-for-a-trip-to-mars/">reports</a>, giving researchers valuable insight as space agencies prepare for longer and deeper missions into space.
<h2>Back And Forth</h2>
Over the past few years, NASA scientists have gradually released some info about the twin study&#8217;s findings. Most surprising was how Scott&#8217;s time in space <a href="https://futurism.com/living-in-space-proven-to-transform-humans-on-a-genetic-level">extended his telomeres</a>, the protective caps that protect chromosome and — at least on Earth — slowly degrade over time.
While this finding will likely lead to speculation — and future research — into how spaceflight could affect human longevity, the changes were shortlived. Within half a year of his return to Earth, Scott&#8217;s lengthened telomeres returned to normal, while some new, shorter-than-usual telomeres that formed upon his return persisted.
<h2>Ready To Launch</h2>
Past research on astronauts suggested that extended space travel could <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/international-space-station-germs">compromise their immune systems</a>. The new findings reveal that these changes are largely temporary and that astronauts quickly recover, which is a promising development for the prospect of sending people out to Mars and maybe even farther.
But because the twin study only involved one person in space, it&#8217;s hard to tell just how much each data point matters because the context is missing.
&#8220;It’s analogous to the very first time that we measured someone&#8217;s blood pressure,&#8221; lead researcher Chris Mason told MIT Tech. &#8220;We didn&#8217;t know what the actual reference numbers were until we started to measure more people.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613291/the-first-study-of-a-twin-in-space-looks-like-good-news-for-a-trip-to-mars/">The first study of a twin in space looks like good news for a trip to Mars</a> [MIT Technology Review]
More on the twin study: <a href="https://futurism.com/nasa-twin-study-kelly-preliminary">After a Year Away from Earth, Scott Kelly’s “Space Genes” Set Him Apart From His Twin</a>

"We didn't know what the actual reference numbers were until we started to measure more people."

NASA: genetic changes caused by space travel are temporary

Previously Identical

NASA just published the full results of its extensive study into how space travel altered astronaut Scott Kelly's health and gene expression.

NASA: Genetic Changes Caused by Space Travel Are Temporary

"It’s analogous to the very first time that we measured someone's blood pressure."

<h2>Computer Brain</h2>
Scientists <a href="https://scienceblog.com/507236/new-quantum-material-could-warn-of-neurological-disease/">say they&#8217;ve developed</a> a new &#8220;quantum material&#8221; that could one day transfer information <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/translates-thoughts-gadget-speech">directly from human brains</a> to a computer.
The research is in early stages, but it invokes ideas like uploading brains to the cloud or hooking people up to a computer to track deep health metrics — concepts that until now existed solely in science fiction.
<h2>Quantum Interface</h2>
The new quantum material, described in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09660-6">research published Wednesday</a> in the journal Nature Communications, is a &#8220;nickelate lattice&#8221; that the scientists say could directly translate the brain&#8217;s electrochemical signals into electrical activity that could be interpreted by a computer.
&#8220;We can confidently say that this material is a potential pathway to building a computing device that would store and transfer memories,&#8221; Purdue University engineer Shriram Ramanathan <a href="https://scienceblog.com/507236/new-quantum-material-could-warn-of-neurological-disease/">told ScienceBlog</a>.
<h2>Running Diagnostics</h2>
Right now, the new material can only detect the activity of some neurotransmitters — so we can&#8217;t yet upload a whole brain or anything like that. But if the tech progresses, the researchers hypothesize that it could be used to detect neurological diseases, or perhaps even store memories.
&#8220;Imagine putting an electronic device in the brain, so that when natural brain functions start deteriorating, a person could still retrieve memories from that device,&#8221; Ramanathan said.
READ MORE: <a href="https://scienceblog.com/507236/new-quantum-material-could-warn-of-neurological-disease/">New Quantum Material Could Warn Of Neurological Disease</a> [ScienceBlog]
More on brain-computer interface: <a href="https://futurism.com/noninvasive-neural-implant-clinical-trials">This Neural Implant Accesses Your Brain Through the Jugular Vein</a>

"Imagine putting an electronic device in the brain, so that when natural brain functions start deteriorating, a person could still retrieve memories from that device."

Scientists say new quantum material could "'download' your brain"

Head In The Cloud

A new type of quantum material can directly measure neural activity and translate it into electrical signals for a computer.

Scientists Say New Quantum Material Could “‘Download’ Your Brain”

The material is meant to be a bridge between how brains and computers think.

<h2>Crowded Ship</h2>
The International Space Station (ISS) is getting crowded.
Sure, just a handful of humans have spent time aboard the orbital station. But it turns out that the ISS is crawling with bacterial and fungal colonies, according to <a href="https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-019-0666-x">research published Monday</a> in the journal Microbiome.
<h2>Space Culture</h2>
The scientists took samples from eight spots on the ISS over the course of 14 months, according to the study. They found anywhere from 10,000 to a billion colony forming units — meaning bacterial or fungal cells capable of reproducing — per square meter.
Most of the microbes were linked to the human microbiome, meaning they hitchhiked their way to space in an astronaut&#8217;s guts or skin. But the study says that many of them are potentially infectious — and as Futurism previously reported, some bugs on the ISS are <a href="https://futurism.com/antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-international-space-station">resistant to antibiotics</a>.
<h2>Bug Hunt</h2>
At this point, it&#8217;s unclear how much of a threat these bacteria and fungi pose to ISS crewmembers, since this particular study only set out to determine which microbes were present in which quantities. But previous research has shown that space travel can alter and weaken an astronaut&#8217;s immune system.
&#8220;The influence of the indoor microbiome on human health becomes more important for astronauts during flights due to altered immunity associated with space flight,&#8221; reads the study, &#8220;and the lack of sophisticated medical interventions that are available on Earth.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://gizmodo.com/the-international-space-station-is-a-cesspool-of-bacter-1833885488">The International Space Station Is a Cesspool of Bacteria and Fungi, Study Finds</a> [Gizmodo]
More on ISS hygiene: <a href="https://futurism.com/space-station-bathroom-disgusting">Scientists’ New Goal: Make the ISS Bathroom Less Disgusting</a>

But it's unclear whether or not that puts crewmembers in immediate danger.

The International Space Station is teeming with germs

Space Germs

A new survey figured out how many bacteria and fungi are on the International Space Station. In some places, there are a billion cells per square meter.

The International Space Station is Teeming With Germs

Scientists did the first full survey of bacteria and fungi on the ISS. The results were icky.

<h2>Brain-Computer Interface</h2>
For the first time, doctors are preparing to test a brain-computer interface that can be implanted onto a human brain, no open surgery required.
The Stentrode, a neural implant that can let paralyzed people communicate, can be delivered to a patient&#8217;s brain through the jugular vein — and the company that developed it, Synchron, just got approval to begin human experimentation.
By <a href="https://futurism.com/neural-jelly-drill-brain">leaving the skull sealed shut</a>, patients could receive their neural implants without <a href="https://futurism.com/scientists-stick-needles-brains-curious-what-needles-brains/">running as great a risk</a> of seizures, strokes, or permanent neural impairments, all of which <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/awake-brain-surgery/about/pac-20384913">can be caused</a> by open-brain surgery.
In the coming months, five participants with paralyzed hands or mouths that prevent them from communicating will have Stentrodes implanted into their brains.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve commenced recruitment over the last several weeks,&#8221; Synchron founder and CEO Thomas Oxley, a physician in New York City, told Futurism. &#8220;We&#8217;ve identified some potential patients so that&#8217;s very exciting, but there&#8217;s a several-month recruitment process once they come in.&#8221;
<h2>Ongoing Process</h2>
As potentially game-changing as a neural implant that circumvents open brain surgery could be, Synchron is taking things slowly.
The work of building a functional device and showing that it&#8217;s safe in animal models is done; now it comes down to collecting and making sense of clinical data.
Before trials can begin, potential participants will need to undergo several brain scans. After that comes an evaluation from a neurologist to make sure that they would actually benefit from the Stentrode&#8217;s neural interface and that their blood vessels are in good enough shape to have the device — which looks like a standard medical stent with built-in circuitry — travel through them on its path to the brain.
But once the trial begins, Oxley said that the patients will start training to use the device and its software to generate text with their thoughts.
&#8220;We&#8217;re trying to help patients who have been paralyzed due to stroke or ALS or spinal cord injury, and who cannot communicate in the way they need to perform their work activities or their social activities,&#8221; Oxley said. &#8220;We&#8217;re working to generate text at a rate that&#8217;s comparable to texting speeds on a smartphone. That&#8217;s the goal.&#8221;
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NZlIL0iI1Sg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>One Step At A Time</h2>
A permanent neural implant that reads brain activity and churns out text could prove to be a valuable medical tool, but it also could provide doctors with an unprecedented 24/7 stream of neural data.
Oxley recognizes that an <a href="https://futurism.com/facebook-brain-computer-interface-zuckerberg">endless feed of brain activity</a> could be invaluable to medical researchers, but he doesn&#8217;t have plans to tap into that yet.
&#8220;[The Stentrode is] going to show us information that we hadn&#8217;t had before. Whether that helps us understand other things is not what we&#8217;re trying to do here,&#8221; he said, clarifying that Synchron&#8217;s primary goal is to get the new brain-computer interface working so that it can help paralyzed patients. &#8220;This is a novel data set, but this raises questions around privacy and security. That&#8217;s the patient&#8217;s data, and we can&#8217;t be mining that.&#8221;
Oxley told Futurism that they&#8217;ve already built in security protocols to make sure the study participants&#8217; brain data, which will be stored locally, is future-proofed, and added that he doesn&#8217;t have plans — or regulatory approval — to analyze or study that data for other purposes in the future. In a follow-up email, he clarified that study participants are being asked to give consent for this particular experiment, but not to hand over their neural data for future research.
<h2>Distant Future</h2>
But that doesn&#8217;t mean other developments aren&#8217;t coming. Oxley said that he could envision a future in which brain-computer interface neural implants do more than just restore the ability to communicate. Though this vision of the future is fairly speculative, it&#8217;s not hard to imagine that as neural implants — from Synchron or anywhere else — grow increasingly sophisticated, they allow people to do more and more things.
&#8220;What&#8217;s behind paralysis? The intention to move. So we&#8217;re digitizing intention,&#8221; said Oxley. &#8220;Ultimately, if those signals are really fast, those patients or people are now controlling technologies with a level of superiority may not be possible with a regular human body.&#8221;
Synchron isn&#8217;t working on it now, but Oxley said that devices like the Stentrode could feasibly be used someday to control robotic limbs, exoskeletons, or other devices that improve human senses. Before Oxley or anyone else works towards those devices, he said that there&#8217;s an ethical minefield to navigate.
&#8220;When you start building software that controls devices that move — vehicles, robotic limbs, exoskeletons — what we&#8217;re doing is digitizing intent,&#8221; said Oxley. &#8220;If we can capture intent of the patient, we run our algorithm that spits out intent into mechanical use. Let&#8217;s say a robotic limb does the wrong thing: it picks up the wrong thing or pushes and hurts someone, who is responsible? It raises a lot of ethical considerations about how this technology moves forward.&#8221;
More on Brain-Computer Interface: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/brain-implant-read-paralyzed-minds-speak-bci">New Brain Implant Could Translate Paralyzed People&#8217;s Thoughts Into Speech</a>

"It's going to show us information that we hadn't had before."

The first non-invasive neural implant is about to begin clinical trials

Plug-And-Play

The Stentrode, the first neural implant that doesn't require open surgery, is poised to begin clinical trials to help paralyzed people communicate.

This Neural Implant Accesses Your Brain Through the Jugular Vein

The brain-computer interface lets paralyzed people type using their thoughts.

<h2>Unintended Benefits</h2>
A startup called Your Choice Therapeutics says it&#8217;s invented a birth control medication that could be taken by men and women — a possible end to the frustrating era where the onus is solely on women to handle birth control medication.
&#8220;These male options stand to be a game-changer,&#8221; executive director of the Male Contraceptive Initiative Heather Vahdat <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/male-birth-control-startup-backed-y-combinator-your-choice-therapeutics-2019-4">told Business Insider</a>. &#8220;It feels like we&#8217;ve finally turned a corner.&#8221;
<h2>Rigging The Race</h2>
Thus far, there <a href="https://futurism.com/male-birth-control-poison">aren&#8217;t any birth control options</a> for men aside from good old-fashioned condoms. Some drugs currently under investigation run the risk of causing side effects including erectile dysfunction.
<a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6285/555">Early research</a> into the Your Choice&#8217;s new drug shows that its lack of hormones prevent those side effects as well as the side effects that some women experience while taking existing birth control options.
<h2>Far Away</h2>
In men, the drug doesn&#8217;t prevent the formation of sperm, but it keeps them from reaching an egg by disabling their tail propellers. In women, it makes the egg impenetrable to any sperm that find their way there.
But don&#8217;t hold your breath. The goal, Business Insider reports, is to have a drug hit the market in about 20 years, after the long process of conducting clinical trials and seeking approval from the FDA.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/male-birth-control-startup-backed-y-combinator-your-choice-therapeutics-2019-4">A Berkeley-stacked startup backed by Silicon Valley&#8217;s top tech hub is developing male birth control that experts call promising</a> [Business Insider]
More on male contraception: <a href="https://futurism.com/another-male-birth-control-pill">Scientists Claim They’ve Developed a Male Birth Control Pill — Again</a>

"The contraceptive burden has been on women for forever."

New birth control drug would work for men and women

Male Birth Control

A new drug, currently in development, could eventually give rise to safe and effective birth control for both men and women.

/Medicine