By Hollie SilvermanRussian authorities told the World Health Organization (WHO) that "no case of plague has been recorded in Irkutsk," the …
It’s easier than ever to design killer pathogens.
MIT Media Lab celebrates four faculty promotions, July 2026: Dagdeviren, Esvelt, and Wood granted tenure; Fadel Adib to Full Professor
Kevin Esvelt granted tenure for pioneering gene drives and biosecurity frameworks that reshape how science engages with evolution's future.
The New York Times highlights Kevin Esvelt's findings on dangerous biological information generated by leading AI chatbots.
Synthetic biologists were tantalized by the idea of making mirror images of microbes. Then things got complicated.
Kevin Esvelt spoke with 7News Boston about the “Mice Against Ticks” project and new approaches to preventing Lyme disease.
MIT Media Lab’s Kevin Esvelt leads a community-driven effort on Nantucket to engineer Lyme-immune mice and stop the disease at its source
AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic underscored the crucial importance of enhanced indoor air quality control measures to mitigate the spread of …
Detecting and monitoring airborne viruses is critical for mitigating the spread of infectious diseases and safeguarding public health.
In STAT, Media Lab Professor Kevin Esvelt calls for stronger regulation of synthetic DNA.
The project was inspired by a conversation with Media Lab Professor Kevin Esvelt, a pioneer in developing gene drives.
Professor Kevin Esvelt talks to science journalist Hannah Thomasy about the power—and the risks—of biotechnology.
Cultivating wisdom through evolutionary and ecological engineering.
A new paper published by Kevin Esvelt lays out a blueprint for preventing, preparing for, and responding to future pandemics.
As of November 16, 2022: Due to the recent bankruptcy filing of the FTX Cryptocurrency Exchange, and the resignation of the team that …
Kevin Esvelt and Gigi Gronvall join Ryan Grim and Emily Jashinky to discuss Gain of Function research, and Covid Origin Theory.
If fewer mice carry Lyme, the scientists say, fewer ticks that bite them would become infected.
Using a new robotic platform, researchers can simultaneously track hundreds of microbial populations as they evolve new proteins.
Kevin Esvelt calls on the research community to build defenses against future pandemics, not attempt to discover viruses that cause them.
The people in the 16th annual celebration of young innovators are disrupters and dreamers.
MIT biologist Kevin Esvelt discusses the biology of the pandemic and how gain-of-function research jeopardizes public safety.
Esvelt and Lipsitch lay out a path for slowing the spread of B.1.1.7, and ensuring that we're better prepared for future pandemics.
Kevin Esvelt, master's student Anika Ullah, and other experts talk about bi-directional contact tracing, privacy, and halting Covid-19.
An inventor of CRISPR-based gene drive has some advice to improve science, ethics, and the life-saving potential of these technologies.
Kevin Esvelt and other experts talk about the risks and possible benefits of using gene drives to eliminate diseases and invasive species.
Read the FAQ that accompanies the op-ed by Kevin Esvelt and Carolyn P. Neuhaus, which answers questions about the research they're proposing
We don’t know, but the idea is hardly crazy—and if the answer is yes, we could save many lives long before a vaccine arrives
Thursday August 20, 2020 …
Kevin Esvelt and other experts talk to Axios about the risk of, and potential defenses against, engineered pathogens.
An MIT research team is using supercomputers to help develop a drug to treat the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
A multinational team develops new tools to slow the spread of pandemics.
Saturday April 4, 2020 …
Esvelt's career has gone from straight science into ethics and safety.
How biologist Kevin Esvelt came to know the planet, in his own words.
Kevin Esvelt has been named as one of the Inverse Future 50, “a group of 50 people who will be forces of good in the 2020s.”
Sculpting Evolution head Kevin Esvelt shares how emerging technologies can help us fight the new coronavirus.
How does one scientist deal with the potential ramifications of his own creation?
On Should This Exist?, Sculpting Evolution head Kevin Esvelt grapples with the potential benefits and consequences of gene drive.
In a paper published in PNAS, researchers at MIT and Harvard University describe a self-limiting gene drive system.
Scientists hope these genetically modified "gene drive" mosquitoes could help eradicate malaria.
Cummings School and MIT are working with Massachusetts citizens to deploy immune mice as frontline soldiers in the war against the disease.
iBiology features two introductory classes from CRISPR expert Kevin Esvelt, head of the Media Lab's Sculpting Evolution group.
Unlike a normal edit, gene drive systems could lastingly alter or suppress local or global populations of a target species.
After researchers resurrected a long-dead pox, some critics argue that it's too easy for scientists to make decisions of global consequence.
Cryptography techniques to screen synthetic DNA could help prevent the creation of dangerous pathogens, argues Professor Kevin Esvelt
Given the power to alter the workings of the natural world, are we morally obligated to use it?
I'm a strong advocate of more open science, and my group tries to carefully consider our moral obligations and publicly admit mistakes.
Scientists are developing new ways to alter the genetic code of living organisms. John Oliver explores the risks and rewards.
There’s a huge opportunity to improve agriculture with gene editing. But we need to give CRISPR a chance.
The debate over whether to use genetically modified mosquitoes to fight malaria, explained.
A revolution in gene editing enables scientists to create and edit DNA like never before.
By Kevin EsveltResearchers should hold themselves morally accountable for all of the consequences of their work. That can require publ…
NANTUCKET, Mass. -- On the picturesque island of Nantucket, residents are considering a radical approach to fight a disease that's haunted …
Awards support high-risk, high-impact biomedical research.
Lyme disease has become part of daily life for residents on the rural Massachusetts islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, where the t…
Kevin Esvelt argues that the tremendous power of CRISPR can only be contained if scientists are open about their research.
The capabilities of “gene drive” are thrilling—and also terrifying.