Planetterrian Daily

Science, longevity, and the frontier of human health.

Daily ~15 min

Daily discoveries in longevity science, genetics, biotech, CRISPR, neuroscience, and health research. If it could extend your healthspan or change medicine, we cover it.

For the health-curious, longevity enthusiasts, biohackers, and anyone who wants tomorrow's medicine explained today.

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Latest Episode

Recent Episodes

Ep 48: California hybrid honeybees resist Varroa mites from the larval stage, carrying far fewer parasites without heavy chemical use.

Tue, Apr 21, 2026

Ep 47: Protein engineers created over 10 million data points in three days, dramatically accelerating AI-guided design of custom molecules.

Sun, Apr 19, 2026

Ep 46: Ideaya’s eye cancer drug met its phase 2/3 primary endpoint, clearing a path to accelerated FDA filing later this year.

Wed, Apr 15, 2026

Ep 45: A single CAR-T cell therapy has driven three distinct autoimmune diseases into remission in one patient for the first time.

Mon, Apr 13, 2026

Ep 44: Marine heat waves are now measurably supercharging global hurricane damage according to a major new study.

Sat, Apr 11, 2026

Ep 43: New genetic markers now identify seedless self-pollinating muscadine grapes years before fruit appears, accelerating breeding of better varieties.

Thu, Apr 09, 2026

Ep 42: A new high-temperature memory chip keeps functioning at 700°C, potentially transforming electronics and AI in extreme environments.

Tue, Apr 07, 2026

Ep 41: Sugarcane-derived protein creates artificial saliva that shields teeth from acid far better than current options, especially when combined with fluoride.

Sun, Apr 05, 2026

Ep 40: New research shows BMI misclassifies more than one third of adults when compared to precise DXA body-fat scans.

Fri, Apr 03, 2026

Ep 39: Squid genomes reveal they retreated to deep-sea oxygen refuges over 100 million years ago to survive Earth's largest extinction.

Wed, Apr 01, 2026

Ep 38: Deep sleep activates a brain-driven feedback loop that releases growth hormone to build muscle, burn fat, and sharpen cognition.

Tue, Mar 31, 2026

Ep 37: [Slow News Edition] Supercomputer simulations have mapped the full motions of the spliceosome inside a two-million-atom model of the human cell.

Sun, Mar 29, 2026

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About Planetterrian Daily

Daily discoveries in longevity science, genetics, biotech, CRISPR, neuroscience, and health research. If it could extend your healthspan or change medicine, we cover it.

Hosted by Patrick in Vancouver. A tribe of forward-thinking innovators.

Resources & Further Reading

Recommended Tools

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PubMed

Search 36M+ biomedical papers — the essential tool for finding health and science research

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Examine.com

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Cronometer

Track nutrition, micronutrients, and macros with the most detailed food database available

Hardware

Oura Ring

Sleep, recovery, and readiness tracking — used by longevity researchers for personal data

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InsideTracker

Blood biomarker analysis with personalized health recommendations based on your biology

Key Concepts

What is healthspan vs lifespan?

Lifespan is how long you live. Healthspan is how long you live in good health — free from chronic disease and disability. Longevity researchers increasingly focus on healthspan because living to 100 matters less if the last 20 years are spent in poor health. The goal is to compress morbidity — keeping you healthy and active until very late in life.

What is CRISPR?

CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a revolutionary gene-editing tool that allows scientists to precisely cut, delete, or modify DNA sequences. Think of it as molecular scissors with a GPS — you can target a specific gene and change it. It's being used to develop treatments for sickle cell disease, certain cancers, and inherited genetic conditions. The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for this technology.

What are senolytics?

Senolytics are drugs that selectively destroy senescent cells — 'zombie cells' that have stopped dividing but refuse to die. These cells accumulate with age and secrete inflammatory signals that damage surrounding tissue, contributing to aging and age-related diseases. Senolytic drugs like dasatinib + quercetin and fisetin are being studied in clinical trials. Early results suggest they may improve physical function and reduce inflammation in older adults.

What is NAD+ and why does it matter?

NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) is a coenzyme found in every cell that's essential for energy metabolism, DNA repair, and cellular signaling. NAD+ levels decline with age — by age 50, you may have half the NAD+ you had at 20. Researchers like David Sinclair believe boosting NAD+ (via precursors like NMN or NR) could slow aging. Clinical trials are underway, but results are still preliminary.

What is a clinical trial?

A clinical trial is a research study that tests a medical treatment, drug, or intervention in human volunteers. Trials progress through phases: Phase 1 tests safety (small group), Phase 2 tests effectiveness (larger group), Phase 3 compares to existing treatments (thousands of participants), and Phase 4 monitors long-term effects after approval. You can search for trials at ClinicalTrials.gov — some actively recruit participants.