Hormone and peptide compounds imported from China soared in 2025

US customs data indicates that these imports doubled to $328M in the first three quarters of 2025, from $164M in the same period of 2024. The imports include GLPs, among other products. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

The US FDA defines peptides as being 40 amino acids or less.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

The US FDA issued a 2025 warning about BPC-157 and other popular peptides that are marketed for various regenerative properties.

Peptides may have predated ribosomes—the cell's protein factory

Some scientists have hypothesized that peptides and RNA molecules may have coevolved as a single, mixed "chimeric" molecule, fueling the beginning of protein production and predating a primitive version of the ribosome. All life today uses ribosomes to make peptides. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Early peptide research focused on isolating the substances from animal tissue

In the first half of the 20th century, peptides including insulin and adrenocorticotropic hormone were isolated from animals to provide life-saving medicines. ACTH was isolated from the pituitary glands of cows and pigs and insulin was isolated from the pancreas of dogs and cows.

Shenzhen, China is known as the 'Silicon Valley of Hardware'

The "Silicon Valley of Hardware" is a major manufacturing hub. This WIRED documentary from 2016 does a deep dive into how this Chinese city's practice of copycat manufacturing alongside its innovative culture has made it China's own Silicon Valley.

Peptides like BPC-157 are marketed based largely on animal studies, not human research

BPC-157, which purportedly helps with tissue repair and muscle growth, can cause concerning side effects, including pain and swelling. TB-500, another experimental peptide, is marketed for wound healing, but it hasn't undergone any clinical human trials, and high levels of this peptide have been linked to tumor growth. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Peptide research dates back to the late 1800s

Peptide science dates back to the late 1800s with some early peptide synthesis work, but peptides took off in the medical sphere after surgeon Frederick Banting and his colleague's isolation of insulin from dog pancreases in 1921.

Two festival-goers were hospitalized after receiving trendy peptide injections, raising safety questions that may extend beyond the event.

Peptides like GLP-1 account for 31 of 370 new drugs approved by the US FDA between 2016 and 2023.

Chinese clothing retailer Shein accounts for about half of fast-fashion sales in America.

Peptide TB-500, promoted for regenerative healing, is not FDA approved

Watch a board-certified sports medicine therapist detail his thinking about this synthetic peptide; he says it's "promising but unproven." He notes that this product is designed to mimic the natural protein thymosin beta-4, found in human and animal tissues, which promotes wound healing. TB-500 is classified as a research peptide for recovery, meaning it's not approved for human use and has not yet undergone rigorous human trials on its safety and efficacy.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has banned many peptides

The global body has an entire section dedicated to banned peptide hormones, including ones that may stimulate growth hormones and testosterone. BPC-157 was added to the list in 2022.

Read the FDA's statement on concerns over compound pharmacies

GLP-1 drugs popularity for weight loss and treating diabetes, led to a significant supply shortage and the rise of compound pharmacies, which produce customized drug formulations but lack formal approval from regulators. The drugs are ostensibly the same, but manufacturing methods lead to variations in concentration, filler compounds, and more.

Biotech is trying to boost drug production efficiency—using chicken eggs

A company called Neion Bio is genetically engineering birds in a bid to produce medical compounds, a herculean task that scientists have struggled with for decades. The US FDA has approved only one chicken-derived drug in the past—an expensive treatment for a rare liver disorder. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

The word peptide comes from Greek

Originating from the Greek term "peptos," which means digestible, peptide as a word refers to two or more amino acids. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Diabetes drug GLP-1 is a peptide (that's what the 'P' is for).

DeepSeek is a Chinese AI startup that rattled US competitors when it made an AI model much faster and cheaper than they did

DeepSeek unveiled an AI model in 2025 that it said was made in two months for roughly $6M. For context, OpenAI has suggested it took over $100M to make its AI model GPT-4. The news rattled the stocks of American tech companies, including leading chipmaker Nvidia.

Meet six commercially available synbio products

An article exploring the science behind synbio products currently on the market, and projecting the products that can be expected over the next 10 years.

Taiwan's semiconductor dominance

Taiwan is a leader in the production of semiconductors. In the event of a Chinese invasion, what happens if China controls the supply chain for these indispensable materials? How would it affect the United States as well as other nations already dealing with disruptions due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine? This blog explores these questions and more.

Supplement sales soared during the pandemic, alongside growing distrust of the health establishment, amplifying a trend that endures—even when some of the products don't even work.

Before Silicon Valley became the largest tech hub in the world, it was an agricultural area known for its flowers and fruit

It was called the “Valley of Heart’s Delight.” This video by Vox explains how the area went from growing prunes to producing computer chips. It also explains how Stanford University had a big impact on the area’s development.

Most Westerners don't need more protein, despite the protein boom

You can find the macronutrient in snack bars and pretzels, shakes, and more, even though most normal diets in the West are already protein-heavy with meat and milk. A mix of increased exercise culture and influencer sway has led to a market hungry for it.

Asia-Pacific's share of global venture capital investment has jumped from 3% to 28% in 20 years

China has driven much of that growth due to its manufacturing power and tech sector. This graphic shows how the share of total venture capital deal value changed around the world between 1997 and 2023.

In 2025, almost 90% of global shipments of humanoid robots came from Chinese companies, led by Unitree and AgiBot, with over 5,000 units each.

Your iPhone started with a Cold War secret

Silicon Valley wasn't supposed to happen. A stretch of California orchard land somehow became the place that built the modern world: chips, PCs, the internet, the smartphone, and now AI. But the real story isn't the garage myth. It's a series of contradictions hiding in plain sight.

BPC-157 stands for Body Protection Compound-157.

Look up where your generic prescription drugs are made.

Visualize the global supply chain of medicine, which may begin with basic research in the US, but outsource intermediate steps.

Globalization is increasing the demand for cheese

The increased popularity of Western cuisine has affected the cheese market in historically cheese-averse regions like East Asia. Japan has gotten particularly excited about exploring what cheese has to offer, with festivals and creative fusion dishes featuring the versatile ingredient.

The top 100 companies in Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley has pumped out some of the biggest companies in the world, including Apple, Meta, and Google. Thousands of companies operate in the area, ranging from valuations in the trillions to startups only worth thousands.

The Chinese market for donkey hides has created a new source of diseases

Since 1992, China’s donkey population has dropped more than 80 percent. This report examines how China’s booming demand for a traditional medicine known as e-jiao, made from collagen from donkey hides, is leading to the slaughter of 6 million African donkeys annually, and providing a new source for zoonotic diseases.

After making its US debut in 2015, Shein's sales surged during the pandemic—in 2023, the fast fashion company was valued at roughly $66B.

The amount of plastic chemicals in 300 everyday Bay Area foods

Food production is more complicated than it appears, and manufacturing, packaging, and shipping processes can add significant substances to your food. This massive project compiled data on 300 samples of foods delivered to the San Francisco area, testing for the presence of 18 different kind of plastic. Learn how to read the data here with its helpful guides and then explore the table yourself.

The venture capital mindset is shaping the US into a 'portfolio state'

For decades, the US has operated as a low-regulation, private-sector-driven, globalized economy (also known as neoliberalism). In recent years, the Trump administration has taken direct stakes (rather than providing subsidies) in private companies with strategic products like semiconductors and rare earths. This paper argues the approach allows the US to capture the upside of growth.