You can finally order free COVID-19 tests online
Every American household can now request four free COVID-19 tests from the U.S. government using a newly launched website.
See a futuristic flying car’s first untethered flight
A prototype of a futuristic flying car developed by Bellwether Industries has completed its first untethered test flights.
Latest Videos
Series | Just Might Work
Inside the lab inventing “coffee” without beans to save the planetWatchAlmost all of the last wild forests will have to be destroyed to support the growth of coffee.
Series | Challengers
Frozen out of homeownership, millennials explore co-buying5:01Nuclear families are no longer the norm. This family business is helping homeownership adapt.
Series | Just Might Work
Tornado Alley miracle: A 100% accurate tornado sensor invented by accident6:28Can this recycled technology save the citizens of Tornado Alley?
Series | Hard Reset
Inside Zoox: The robot vehicle totally changing transportation8:23Take an exclusive ride in the vehicle with no steering wheel that’s aiming to make car ownership a thing of the past.
Series | Hard Reset
Inside the lab growing leather from mushrooms8:05Even Hermès is using this ‘shroom leather. Are biomaterials going mainstream?
Series | Challengers
The startup taking down corrupt prison communications to keep families connected6:49This scrappy startup founder wants to take down for-profit prison communications. And he’s backed by Twitter’s Jack Dorsey and former Google Chief Eric Schmidt.
Series | Hard Reset
What if we restarted civilization from scratch in 2022?:52If we could redesign the world from scratch, what should we do differently? Find out in all-new episodes of Freethink’s Hard Reset coming in January 2022.
Series | Challengers
Shipping is broken. Flexport’s CEO has a plan to fix the supply chain 6:07Supply chains are collapsing under pressure. Can new technology make them resilient?
Series | Just Might Work
Fast fashion is killing the planet. These chemists are fighting back6:47Your clothes are mostly plastic. These chemists have figured out how to recycle them.
Series | Challengers
How Brian Armstrong built Coinbase, America’s largest cryptocurrency exchange9:16No one took him seriously. Now, his company stores more than $90 billion dollars in assets. Here’s how Brian Armstrong rode a cryptocurrency tsunami to the forefront of a financial revolution.
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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
You can finally order free COVID-19 tests online
Every American household can now request four free COVID-19 tests from the U.S. government using a newly launched website.
- 01.12.22Researchers are testing neural stimulation as a long COVID treatment
- 01.06.22India authorizes “world’s COVID-19 vaccine,” created in Texas
- 12.26.21How can Moderna and Pfizer adjust vaccines for omicron? A microbiologist answers 5 questions
- 12.16.21Needle-free COVID-19 vaccine is in human trials
- 12.10.21This chewing gum traps the coronavirus
- 12.03.21Is Omicron the COVID variant we have been waiting for?
- 11.27.21How the new coronavirus variant was found and what we know so far
- 11.10.21Deal brings COVID-19 vaccines into conflict zones
- 11.06.21Pfizer’s antiviral pill cuts COVID-19 hospitalization, death by 89%
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.
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Series | Just Might Work
Biohackers take aim at big pharma’s stranglehold on insulin5:55These 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 parks7:45Could 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 Deere5:46Tractor 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 & Microsoft6:01Disposable 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 wars09:28If adopted globally, concentrated solar power could make major waves in manufacturing, not to mention prevent wars over oil and mitigate climate change.
