New 3D-printed batteries could change energy storage forever
A 3D-printing startup has created a solid state battery that “equals or betters” the performance of current lithium-ion batteries.
How oyster reefs protect against hurricane damage
Coastal cities are turning to eco-engineering to protect their coastline from storm surges and hurricane damage. Their floodwater solution: building oyster reefs to act as a natural breakwater.
Latest Videos
Could Gen Z close the racial wealth gap through entrepreneurship?
5:14
This American city was ranked one of the worst for the success of black-owned businesses. Can these young entrepreneurs change that?
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Make It Count
The man hacking hot water to save the planet
5:16
The U.S. Energy Department estimates that tankless water heaters can be up to 34% more efficient than conventional storage water heaters – cutting your annual heating costs by 40%.
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Challengers
The plant-based startup taking on food giants
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Kelp is a superfood that’s grown totally sustainable. But will people be willing to replace burgers with seaweed?
Beyond Sunday Service: How one Montgomery church is bringing health equity to their community
4:03
A grassroots approach to vaccine education is happening in the heart of the civil rights movement in Alabama. Does this church hold the key to overcoming medical mistrust?
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Challengers
26-year-old builds $8,000 mind-controlled bionic arms
Watch
Bionic arms used to cost $80,000. Now, a young engineer has lowered the cost by over 90%.
You deserve better news. Welcome to Freethink.
1:37
The world is changing. It’s time the news changed with it.
Ending world hunger: Can data pave the way?
7:33
The mission to end world hunger is one of today’s most pressing challenges. Here’s how big data is helping solve it.
Series |
Hard Reset
The underdog challenging McDonald’s and Wall Street
8:07
Everytable is scaling access to wealth through a healthy fast food revolution.
Series |
Challengers
The startup turning human ashes into diamonds
6:35
By turning ashes into diamonds, Eterneva is creating a new way to carry the memory of our loved ones with us long after their death.
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?
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We focus on solutions: the smartest people, the biggest ideas, and the most groundbreaking technology shaping our future.
Latest on COVID-19
FDA approves COVID-19 boosters for seniors, high-risk groups (Updated)
The FDA has expanded its authorization of COVID-19 boosters of Pfizer’s vaccine to include seniors and people in high-risk populations.
Building a Solarpunk Future
Series |
Make It Count
The man hacking hot water to save the planet
5:16
The U.S. Energy Department estimates that tankless water heaters can be up to 34% more efficient than conventional storage water heaters – cutting your annual heating costs by 40%.
Can these mirrors give us solar power at night?
Concentrated solar power plants could help us achieve our clean energy goals, but it won’t come cheap.
Coexisting with AI
AI uses sound waves to read the minds of monkeys
Functional ultrasound tech can be used to map the brain activity of monkeys, suggesting it might be useful for future brain-machine interfaces.
AI avatars bring deepfakes to the business world
A financial consulting firm has created AI avatars of its staff that can be used to quickly create deepfakes for presentations and more.
AI reconstructs lost art painted over by Picasso
You can now buy a reconstructed piece of lost art discovered lurking beneath a famous Picasso painting.
Feature
What if your ideas about strangers are all wrong?
The surprising benefits of talking to strangers.
What if your ideas about strangers are all wrong?
Hacking Biology
Fecal transplants reverse aging in brains of old mice
Fecal transplants from younger to older mice appear to reverse aging in the brains of the seniors, improving their memories and cognition.
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.
Original Series
A show about what’s really driving today’s entrepreneurs to shape our future.
Harnessing Psychedelics
Series |
Dope Science
Microdosing psychedelics
5:56
Microdosing is the no-flowers-in-your-hair practice of regularly taking minimal amounts of hallucinogenic substances. Although it’s currently illegal, millions of dollars are being poured into further research.
A small dose of an ibogaine-like drug cures stress in mice
A novel drug designed like ibogaine but without the ibogaine trip or toxicity has corrected the effects of stress in mice.
Ketamine infusion: What it's like and how it works
Ketamine infusion therapy takes the anesthetic from dance floors to depression clinics. But how does the drug work, and what is it like?
MDMA for PTSD just crushed its phase 3 trial
Results from the first phase 3 trial of using MDMA for PTSD along with talk therapy found the drug to be effective.
Long Reads
Stories focused on interesting solutions to big problems.
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Will these lab-made viruses prevent a pandemic?
Previously blacklisted gain-of-function mutation experiments are back, and they’re being used to fight the next major pandemic.
4 people in the world have a mysterious dementia. Could it hold a key to Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s has proved difficult to treat. But solving the mystery of this ultra-rare frontotemporal dementia may unlock new understanding.
The construction robots building space colonies
Sending construction robots into outer space will help pave the way for human exploration, but there are some real challenges that lie ahead.
The next pandemic is out there. Is the private sector ready?
Johns Hopkins’ simulated, international catastrophe is helping business, government, and public health leaders improve global pandemic preparedness.
Should we genetically engineer carbon-hungry trees?
Genetically modified trees that are designed to grow faster and store more carbon could help reverse climate change.
Can seaweed save the planet?
A Maine startup is growing vast quantities of seaweed and then burying them at the bottom of the ocean to sequester carbon for carbon offsets.
