Scientists claim “never before” seen results in ALS clinical trial
The ability of tofersen, a gene-based treatment for ALS, to improve symptoms is being hailed as a “treatment milestone.”
The key to cheaper lab-grown meat? Magnets.
A new technique for making lab-grown meat uses magnets to eliminate the need for fetal bovine serum, an expensive, controversial substance.
Latest Videos
Series | Just Might Work
Waves have massive energy. They could power the planet. Watch Wave energy has incredible potential – and the Navy is racing to harness it.
Series | Hard Reset
The robot solving America’s trash crisis Watch This robot sorts trash with 99% accuracy.
Series | Just Might Work
Morocco has a doomsday seed vault. We stepped inside. Watch Deep in the drylands of Morocco, a hidden vault holds the seeds that could save humanity.
Series | Operation: Reimagine Surgery
The visionaries bringing you the future of surgery Watch Here’s what it’s like to use a robotic surgical system.
In partnership with Intuitive
Series | Challengers
Can this invention fix dirty transportation? Watch Rather than replacing all semi-trucks on the road, this clip-on device filters 80% of each trucks’ CO2.
Series | Heretics
Hereticon explained by founder Mike Solana Watch “The future we want to build is impossible if important ideas are deemed too heretical.”
Series | Just Might Work
“Art exoskeleton” lets you feel opera Watch This Philadelphia theater puts robotic suits on guests before they watch Opera.
Series | Heretics
I was in America’s most hated church. Here’s how to stop extremism Watch Twitter saved her from Westboro Baptist Church. Now she has a message for how we bridge the divide of modern America.
Series | Hard Reset
The future of energy starts with rebuilding the battery Watch Millions of tons of batteries are headed to landfills. Here’s the plan to save them.
Series | Heretics
This hacker built a TSA-proof gun to show why “security” fails us Watch White hat hacker Evan Booth found an unconventional way to expose the TSA’s failing “security.”
Hacking DNA to beat climate change Watch
Nature already has a secret way to combat climate change. What if we could harness it?
In partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks
Join us on Instagram for more stories
Global energy demand will nearly double in the next 30 years. The ocean has the potential to power our planet – and the Navy is racing to harness it.
Here’s what happened this week in tech: NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) made impact, the world’s first cloned arctic wolf is 100 days old & more. With @the.tom.carroll //…
Bobbing offshore, their VAWT design could produce more energy more efficiently.
In the mid-19th century, per-capita incomes in the West started rising consistently for the first time in history. Soon ordinary people would have plumbing and electricity, own refrigerators and washing…
What excites you the most?
New to Freethink?
We focus on solutions: the smartest people, the biggest ideas, and the most groundbreaking technology shaping our future.
Latest on COVID-19
I’ve had COVID and am constantly getting colds. Did COVID harm my immune system?
Does COVID somehow weaken the immune system to make us more prone to other infectious diseases? Here’s what scientists know.
- 09.17.22Long COVID: Self-targeted immune attacks may lurk behind it
- 09.13.22Newly discovered antibody neutralizes all variants of the coronavirus
- 09.01.22FDA authorizes updated COVID-19 boosters
- 08.27.22Researchers may have created a universal coronavirus vaccine
- 08.26.22MIT just created a test that can tell if you’re immune to COVID-19
- 08.15.22Yale study finds low levels of a hormone may predict long COVID
- 08.08.22Long COVID-19 and chronic conditions after viral infections may stem from an overactive immune response
- 08.03.22A cheap nasal spray cuts COVID-19 risk by 62%
- 07.18.22Nasal COVID-19 vaccines prepare for infection right where it starts – in your nose and throat
Building a Solarpunk Future
Data centers need to be greener — Microsoft is leading the way
Microsoft’s plan for sustainable data centers includes more renewable energy, better temperature control, and new construction materials.
Climate tech is booming — and this is better news than COP26
It’s estimated that 65% of emissions reductions can be achieved by existing technologies. The other 35% will need to come from tech breakthroughs.
Coexisting with AI
Nike is betting you’ll want to wear Air Jordans in the metaverse
Nike is laying the groundwork to begin selling digital goods in the metaverse, joining what could soon be a multibillion dollar economy.
Crypto and traditional art are merging — and the result is fantastic
The addition of a physical component could help crypto art go mainstream.
DeepMind AI cracks the code of protein structures
A protein’s structure is crucial to its function. Predicting how a protein will fold was a challenge decades in the making — and answered by DeepMind.
Feature
We now know the big bang theory is (probably) not how the universe began
The Big Bang still happened a very long time ago, but it wasn’t the beginning we once supposed it to be.
Hacking Biology
Scientists relieve depression with magnetic brain stimulation
Researchers at Stanford University believe they’ve developed an effective and quick-acting technique to treat challenging cases of depression — using magnetic brain stimulation.
Lizard regenerates perfect tail thanks to stem cells
A USC study that prompted lizards to regenerate tails that were “perfect” could help facilitate breakthroughs in human regeneration.
Original Series
Meet the people whose bold ideas might sound crazy… but also Just Might Work.
Harnessing Psychedelics
Could VR change how you trip on ketamine?
Virtual reality meets ketamine therapy to help treat pain, anxiety, and depression, to name a few.
MDMA therapy and the promise of psychedelics
Despite years of work with a “stellar” therapist, Charlotte needed more. She turned to MDMA therapy.
Ibogaine: The psychedelic cure?
Ibogaine, an African psychedelic drug which comes from the iboga plant, is used for both religious rites and drug addiction treatment.
One ayahuasca experience could have lasting effects on the brain
Researchers believe just one ayahuasca experience may be enough to have a lasting effect on the brain.
Freethink Favorites
Stories focused on interesting solutions to big problems.
Prev
Next
Series | Just Might Work
Biohackers take aim at big pharma’s stranglehold on insulin 5:55 These biohackers plan to give away their instructions for how to make insulin for free.
Farming robot kills 100,000 weeds per hour with lasers
Carbon Robotics’ Autonomous Weeder is a smart farming robot that identifies weeds and then kills them using high-power lasers.
Supercentenarians’ DNA reveals clues to human longevity
A human longevity study involving people over the age of 105 has found that genetic variants linked to DNA repair appear to contribute to a longer life.
Series | Just Might Work
How robots could end animal captivity in zoos and marine parks 7:45 Could robotic dolphins help marine parks become more humane spaces where people can learn about and connect with nature?
Twisty nuclear fusion reactor gets twice as hot as the sun
Physicists optimized a nuclear fusion reactor to overcome a problem that causes heat loss and prevents the device from sustaining fusion.
Series | Coded
Tractor-hacking farmers take on John Deere 5:46 Tractor hacking is a fast-growing trend in the farming community — but it’s not outsiders breaking in.
Japan breaks world record for fastest internet speed
Engineers in Japan have set a new world record for fastest internet speed — 319 Tb/s — using a specially developed fiber-optic cable.
Sophia the Robot will be mass-produced this year
Hanson Robotics is going to begin mass-producing Sophia the robot in 2021, making the social robot available to help combat the pandemic.
Series | Challengers
This DIY laptop is challenging tech giants like Apple & Microsoft 6:01 Disposable tech is part of big tech’s business model. This engineer is fighting back by creating a DIY laptop anyone can repair on their own.
Prisoners will get a $2,750 check when they leave prison
A non-profit is experimenting with providing prisoners a $2,750 check when they leave prison. The goal is to reduce recidivism and help people get a fresh start.
Series | Hard Reset
How mirrors could power the planet… and prevent wars 09:28 If adopted globally, concentrated solar power could make major waves in manufacturing, not to mention prevent wars over oil and mitigate climate change.
