Freethink

Dispatches

The Cost of Sucking Carbon Out of the Air Just Fell By 85%

The Cost of Sucking Carbon Out of the Air Just Fell By 85%

It's not there yet, but carbon capture just got interesting.

Dispatches

Study Shows Schizophrenia Begins in the Womb, Unraveling a…

Study Shows Schizophrenia Begins in the Womb, Unraveling a Genetic Mystery

Half of genes linked to schizophrenia are primarily involved in the placenta, not the brain.

Dispatches

Mental Training Can Heal Traumatic Brain Injuries (and…

Mental Training Can Heal Traumatic Brain Injuries (and Reduce Depression)

Millions of people are dealing with traumatic head injuries; brain scans show that cognitive training could actually repair damaged neural connections.

Superhuman

Episode 8

Helping Kids Walk With Wearable Robots

Exoskeletons aren't just science fiction anymore. Wearable robots are helping kids with cerebral palsy walk.

Dispatches

Why Don’t Vaccines Work as Well in Poor Countries?

Why Don’t Vaccines Work as Well in Poor Countries?

Our best tool for preventing disease is the least effective in the places where it's most needed.

Dispatches

Tesla Fixed Its Model 3 Brakes with Software – And Showed U…

Tesla Fixed Its Model 3 Brakes with Software – And Showed Us the Future of Cars

Consumer Reports failed the Model 3's braking system. A week later, Tesla beamed a fix to the entire fleet.

Superhuman

Episode 7

Hunting Down His Son’s Killer

For years, there was no diagnosis, no treatment, and no cure — because his son's disease had never been seen before. That wasn't going to stop this dad.

Dispatches

Genetic Tests Miss “Invisible” Mutations That Cause Disease and…

Genetic Tests Miss “Invisible” Mutations That Cause Disease and Neurological Disorders

There's more to your DNA than just letters, and mutations can lurk in that genetic "dark matter."

Dispatches

Emergency Braking Was Disabled During Self-driving Uber…

Emergency Braking Was Disabled During Self-driving Uber Fatality: Feds

Uber turned off the emergency braking function in its self-driving cars because of "erratic vehicle behavior."

Dispatches

Spraying Bacteria onto the Skin Can Treat Eczema

Spraying Bacteria onto the Skin Can Treat Eczema

The bacteria in your microbiome ward off infections and help keep your skin healthy.

Dispatches

Your DNA Is Not the Same in Every Cell

Your DNA Is Not the Same in Every Cell

Your body began with a single cell and a single genetic code. But it didn't stay that way for long.

Superhuman

Episode 6

Can Genetically Modified Pigs Be the Key to Treating Rare Diseases?

When it comes to rare diseases, doctors often don’t have enough patients to determine the effectiveness of various treatments. Now, scientists are breeding pigs with the same genetic code as people with a disease in order to create a pool of test "patients" unlike any before.

On the Fringe

Could Freezing Your Body Offer a Chance at Immortality?

Could Freezing Your Body Offer a Chance at Immortality?

In a lab in Arizona, dozens of bodies sit preserved at 320 degrees below zero. They each paid $200,000 to be frozen on the hope that, one day, medicine will advance far enough to once again bring them back from the dead.

Dispatches

Robots Are Mass Producing Mini-Organs

Robots Are Mass Producing Mini-Organs

Robots can make hundreds of tiny copies of your organs, allowing doctors to test many different treatments at the same time.

Dispatches

Scientists Physically "Transplant" a Memory in…

Scientists Physically "Transplant" a Memory in Snails

The experiment breaks the conventional wisdom about what memories are made of.

Dispatches

The Cause (and Possible Cure) for Most Infertility

The Cause (and Possible Cure) for Most Infertility

Fertility medicine may be on the edge of a breakthrough.

Dispatches

Two Billion People Have TB. What Should We Do about It?

Two Billion People Have TB. What Should We Do about It?

In the fight against TB, sometimes it's better to just get along.

Superhuman

Episode 5

Can Virtual Reality Help Fight the Opioid Crisis?

VR has long been seen as an escape from the real world. But recently researchers have been putting an unexpected twist on that. They’re now exploring how VR could provide an escape from an unfortunate reality many face everyday: chronic pain.

Dispatches

CRISPR Can Diagnose Zika (and Ebola) with Just a Strip of…

CRISPR Can Diagnose Zika (and Ebola) with Just a Strip of Paper

We could be on our way to a fast, reliable, portable test for almost any virus or cancerous mutation.

Dispatches

We Found the Oldest Human Virus: It's Familiar (but Weird)

We Found the Oldest Human Virus: It's Familiar (but Weird)

The discovery cracks open a 7,000-year history of human-virus warfare. And it's raising weird questions.

Superhuman

Episode 4

These Gloves Can Teach You to Play the Piano. And Maybe Heal Your Brain.

Through "passive haptic learning", these gloves can teach you how to play the piano in an hour. Braille in four hours. Now researchers want to see if victims of traumatic brain injuries can use these gloves to re-learn critical skills.

Science

Bionic Prosthetic Grants Amputee Musician a Rocking Encore

Bionic Prosthetic Grants Amputee Musician a Rocking Encore

How might your life change if you lost an arm? After losing his right arm in an electrical accident, Jason wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to drum again.

Dispatches

Neuroscientists Want to Beam Experiences Directly into Your…

Neuroscientists Want to Beam Experiences Directly into Your Brain

It's a breakthrough for the blind and paralyzed, not the first step toward the Matrix. (Promise.)

Dispatches

Scientists Want to Rewrite the Entire Human Genome, from…

Scientists Want to Rewrite the Entire Human Genome, from Scratch

What if we could rewrite our entire genetic code to make us invincible against viruses?

Dispatches

Organic Solar Is (Finally) Efficient Enough to Compete

Organic Solar Is (Finally) Efficient Enough to Compete

Reliable power straight from the sun looks more achievable than ever.

Dispatches

Glowing Cancer Cells Could Find Hidden Tumors (And Replace…

Glowing Cancer Cells Could Find Hidden Tumors (And Replace Mammograms)

A new pill can make cancer cells glow under infrared light, and it could eliminate for mammograms.

Superhuman

Episode 3

How 3D-Printing Is Revolutionizing Heart Surgery

When a young boy was facing a complicated and dangerous heart operation, his doctors created an exact model of his heart to plan the surgery. And it probably saved his life.

Dispatches

Babies Sometimes Trigger Preterm Labor to Escape Infections

Babies Sometimes Trigger Preterm Labor to Escape Infections

A new discovery upends what we thought we knew about premature births and could point the way to entirely new solutions to prevent them.

Dispatches

Scientists Finally Get a Look at Enzyme that Protects DNA

Scientists Finally Get a Look at Enzyme that Protects DNA

We finally have a detailed picture of an enzyme that could play a key role in fighting both aging and cancer

Superhuman

Episode 2

These Doctors are Performing Brain Surgery ... Using Sound

Bonnie D'Ettorre suffers from a nerve disorder causing uncontrollable shaking. Doctors at Ohio State are about to "burn it out" using a thousand beams of ultrasound.

Science

The Ebola Vaccine Is Still Working 2 Years Later

The Ebola Vaccine Is Still Working 2 Years Later

The vaccine works great at preventing infection—let’s hope it can also prevent media panic too.

On The Fringe

These Bacteria-Eating Sewer Viruses are Saving Lives

These Bacteria-Eating Sewer Viruses are Saving Lives

The world discovered phages before antibiotics, but these lowly sewer viruses are getting renewed attention in the age of antibiotic resistance.

Superhuman

Episode 1

The World’s First Bionic Drummer

Jason Barnes lost his arm in a horrible accident. Then he became the fastest drummer in the world...

Dispatches

Linking Genes to Depression Could Revolutionize Treatment

Linking Genes to Depression Could Revolutionize Treatment

Saying something is “genetic” used to be a fatalistic diagnosis. But with modern medicine, it could be the key to treatment.

Sponsored

Episode 15

For People in Prison, a Second Chance to Give Back

68% of people released from prison return within three years. This program is changing that.

Dispatches

The Eternal Sunshine of the Stressed Out Mind

The Eternal Sunshine of the Stressed Out Mind

Researchers at Cambridge University have finally figured out how the brain stops stressful thoughts and memories from taking over our minds.

Dispatches

Researchers Want to Create A Traffic Cop for the Sky

Researchers Want to Create A Traffic Cop for the Sky

A new kind of radar could direct drone traffic safely around city skies.

Dispatches

FDA Approves AI “Doctor” That Can See Disease in Your Eyes

FDA Approves AI “Doctor” That Can See Disease in Your Eyes

How will artificial intelligence transform medicine?

Dispatches

23andMe Can (Finally) Tell You about Your Genetic Cancer…

23andMe Can (Finally) Tell You about Your Genetic Cancer Risk

23andMe has won the right to tell you what your genes say about you. It's a landmark legal achievement that could help usher in a new age of personalized medicine.

Dispatches

Tesla and Uber Fatalities Show the Limits of…

Tesla and Uber Fatalities Show the Limits of “Semi-Autonomous” Cars

How can we make humans pay attention when a machine is doing our job for us?

Dispatches

A Prosthetic Memory Can Help You Remember

A Prosthetic Memory Can Help You Remember

Scientists have figured out how to hack the brain's memory.

Dispatches

Self-driving Uber Fatality: Video Shows Tech Failure &…

Self-driving Uber Fatality: Video Shows Tech Failure & Human Error

The only way to make self-driving cars safer is to take the risk of more testing.

Crossing the Divide

Episode 7

Having Your Views Challenged is a Good Thing

When we encounter ideas we don’t like, we often shut them down. Professor John Inazu explains why that’s a bad thing and what we can do to fix it.

Science

Episode 19

Could Growing Vaccines in Plants Save Lives?

Vaccines for influenza, polio, smallpox, even Ebola have all be grown … in plants.

DIY Science

Episode 5

The Homemade Internet Service

We all get tired of our internet service. But what if instead of just restarting your router, you started your own internet service?

DIY Science

Episode 4

Treating Diabetes with a DIY Pancreas

A group of coders created an open source, DIY pancreas to help people with diabetes manage their condition.

DIY Science

Episode 3

Electrifying Classic Cars

Starting with the classics, this unique shop is converting existing cars into all-electric road warriors.

Crossing the Divide

Episode 8

The Conservative Radio Host Urging People to Break Out of Their Bubbles

Charlie Sykes, a conservative radio host and author of "How the Right Lost Its ...

DIY Science

Episode 2

Can Coding Prevent Overdoses?

A group of teenagers in Baltimore have created an app that can notify the public about heroin overdoses and save countless lives

Change Agents

Episode 12

The Violinist Playing for Freedom in Venezuela

Venezuelan violinist Wuilly Arteaga has been beaten and arrested, but it hasn’t stopped him from using music to help bring freedom to his country

DIY Science

Episode 1

The Alzheimer's-Detecting Helmet

If we could detect Alzheimer’s earlier, we could treat it better. Two college students designed a device that may be able to do just that.

On the Fringe

Episode 5

Freezing Bodies for the Future

Alcor CEO Max More knows most people don't believe cryonics will work. But More thinks we can't afford not to try.

Sponsored

Episode 5

The Robot Duck Helping Kids With Cancer

Nation of Artists and Freethink are proud to partner with Aflac, Sproutel and Carol Cone ...

On the Fringe

Episode 4

Growing Human Organs in Pigs

Twenty people die every day in the U.S. waiting for an organ transplant. There ...

On the Fringe

Episode 3

Can Snot Help Stop the Flu?

The flu is a really tough target. The virus evolves far too fast to really ...

On the Fringe

Episode 2

A Stranger's Poop Could Save Your Life

💩 is pretty gross. We do everything we can to avoid it. But thanks to the bur...

On the Fringe

Episode 1

Searching for Cures in a Sewer

Yale researcher Ben Chan spends a lot of time doing what most people would avoid ...

Wrong

Episode 5

Will Robots Take Our Jobs?

Since the dawn of the industrial revolution, fear of automation has been on the rise. ...

Wrong

Episode 4

What Happened to the Beepocalypse?

In 2006 bees started disappearing. Beekeepers reported to losing up to 90% of their beehives. And no ...

Wrong

Episode 3

Is Vitamin C a Total Sham

In the heart of cold and flu season, it's natural to reach for the Vitamin ...

Wrong

Episode 2

Did Rats Start the Drug War?

Much of our shared understanding about drugs and addiction came from a series of studies ...

The Big Idea

Episode 13

Our Cyborg Future is Coming (And That’s Not a Bad Thing)

Hollywood loves to sensationalize merging the body with advanced tech. But will it really be so bad?

Wrong

Episode 1

Did the Food Pyramid Make Us Fat?

To address rising health problems in the 1980s, scientists and policymakers developed the US Food ...

Coded

Episode 5

How AI Could Revolutionize Coffee

Could the blockchain be used to make fair trade goods live up to their promise?

Coded

Episode 4

This Research Team Wants to Hack Your Car

What happens when an SUV going 75 miles-per-hour down a highway is hacked from a remote computer?

Relentless

Episode 3

The Tattooed, Skater Principal Making Education Fun Again

The Tattooed, Skater Principal Making Education Fun Again

Coded

Episode 3

Hacker Wins Election As Pirate Party Leader

Iceland's Pirate Party is trying to use a hacker mindset to improve their country and the world.

Coded

Episode 2

Hacker Hero Arrested by FBI

Was MalwareTech just doing research to stop criminal activity or engaging in criminal activity himself?

Coded

Episode 1

The Lawyer Who Defends Anonymous

Jay Leiderman isn’t your normal defense attorney. He’s committed his career to defending hack...

Superhuman

Episode 1

3-D Printing Prosthetics for Kids

The incredible movement of shared designs and tech that’s making prosthetics better and cheaper for everyone.

Superhuman

Episode 5

Father Creates Bionic Organ for Son

A father’s quest to help his son with diabetes could change the lives of millions of people who suffer from the disease.

On the Cusp

How Virtual Reality is Changing Medicine

How Virtual Reality is Changing Medicine

From virtual hearts to immersive battlefields, doctors and scientists are using virtual reality to transform medicine

Superhuman

Episode 4

Father Makes 3D Heart for Daughter

When a father’s daughter was diagnosed with a heart disease, he set out to design an innovative 3D model of a heart that doctors could explore in virtual reality to save her life and thousands more.

Superhuman

Episode 3

Stem Cells Give Paralyzed Man Movement

Could an injection of embryonic stem cells into the spinal cord reverse paralysis?

Superhuman

Episode 2

Brain Implant Gives Quadriplegic Movement

A brain implant connected to electrodes could offer hope to those who have lost function in their limbs.

Science

Could This Revolutionary Football Helmet Protect Players…

Could This Revolutionary Football Helmet Protect Players and Save the Game?

As more and more former football players exhibit symptoms of CTE, one company thinks their new helmet can address the problem of player safety.

Prison Reform

Episode 17

The Exotic Zoo Run by Prisoners

Could zookeeping turn an inmate’s life around? Jeanne Selander who runs the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm thinks so.

On the Cusp

Episode 8

The Real Mother of Dragons

Meet the scientists using dragon blood to fight superbugs

Technology

Episode 14

Can an Algorithm Catch a Serial Killer?

A self-professed data nerd, Thomas Hargrove believes everything around us is following a mathematical formula...including murder.

Crossing the Divide

Why Does This Cop Have a Million Instagram Followers?

Why Does This Cop Have a Million Instagram Followers?

Officer Tommy Norman's work has drawn national attention recently, but his approach to policing is nothing new.

Crossing the Divide

Episode 6

Making America Dinner Again

What happens when you put people of all political persuasions together over dinner?

Crossing the Divide

Episode 5

How to Negotiate the Nonnegotiable

Insights on working through conflict with Harvard's top negotiation expert.

Crossing the Divide

Episode 2

A White Cop and Black Barber Team Up to Bring Peace to Their City

A local barber teams up with an officer to ease tensions in their community.

Crossing the Divide

Can a Single Conversation Really Change Someone's Mind?…

Can a Single Conversation Really Change Someone's Mind? This Research Says Yes.

After studying a team of canvassers, two researchers found that a single conversation can have a significant and lasting impact on a person's opinion.

Crossing the Divide

Maybe We Can All Get Along: 5 Reasons to Be Hopeful

Maybe We Can All Get Along: 5 Reasons to Be Hopeful

While the press tends to emphasize bad news, there are less covered stories of people from different backgrounds and beliefs coming together.

Crossing the Divide

Episode 3

LGBT Rights: The Power of a Single Conversation

Why a gay rights activist started a movement to talk to thousands who voted against gay marriage.

Crossing the Divide

Episode 4

Where Muslims and Jews Worship Together

When a Jewish community lost its place of worship, help came from an unexpected place.

Crossing the Divide

Americans Are Divided. These People Are Doing Something…

Americans Are Divided. These People Are Doing Something About It.

Amidst our most intense religious, political, and cultural conflicts, there are people around the country who are working tirelessly to forge connections

Superhuman

Episode 7

The Mom Who Will Stop at Nothing to Save Her Daughter's Life

Doctors told Karen Aiach her daughter had a rare and fatal disease. So she decided ...

Crossing the Divide

Trailer

Crossing the Divide Trailer

77% of people think the country is more divided than it’s ever been. We set out to meet the people trying to change that.

Technology

Episode 16

Afghanistan’s First Female Tech CEO

Despite getting death threats from the Taliban, Roya Mahboob realized her dream of a successful career in tech.

Pop Revolution

How Skate Punks are Ushering in a New Era of Freedom in…

How Skate Punks are Ushering in a New Era of Freedom in Myanmar

For decades, Myanmar, also known as Burma, was ruled by a repressive military junta. Then, in 2011, things began to change.

Coded

Nico Sell on Recruiting Hackers for Good

Nico Sell on Recruiting Hackers for Good

Why we should teach kids how to hack and encourage them to use their new-found talents for good.

Pop Revolution

Episode 1

Skatepunks of Myanmar

Is the booming skating scene in Myanmar a sign of a more hopeful future for the once isolated country?

Rise

5 Fascinating Ways Humans are Adapting to Cities

5 Fascinating Ways Humans are Adapting to Cities

There’s a global transformation happening - millions of people are migrating to cities from the countryside.

Rise

The Untold Story of Rio’s Largest Favela

The Untold Story of Rio’s Largest Favela

Meet the proud, hopeful, ambitious people determined to build the life they’ve dreamed of.

Rise

Episode 6

The Hidden Side of "Slum" Life

Life in favelas, or slum cities in Brazil, are often portrayed as some of the ...

Episode 18

Teaser of The Hidden Side of “Slum” Life

One of the most significant transformations in humankind is underway but largely going untold.

Wrong

3 Times Our Brightest Minds Made Bad Predictions

3 Times Our Brightest Minds Made Bad Predictions

Some of the predictions might look outlandish now, but at the time they actually seemed quite plausible.

Wrong

Episode 3

The Y2K Bug is Going to Bite!

Did we narrowly avoid the apocalypse because of some world-saving last minute de-bugging.

Wrong

Episode 2

Beware the Frankenbabies!

Frightening predictions almost stopped the invention that has helped millions of families.

Wrong

Episode 1

We’re All Gonna Starve!

A revolution in food production turned predictions of a population bomb into a worldwide boom.

Coded

Episode 7

How an Exiled Cryptographer is Protecting Journalists in His Native Ethiopia

An exiled blogger teaches journalists in his native Ethiopia how to avoid capture

Criminal Justice

Can This Robot Stop Violence at Traffic Stops?

Can This Robot Stop Violence at Traffic Stops?

A Duke robotics PhD student and his partner think they have a way ease tensions while deep-rooted differences are hashed out.

Coded

Meet the Artist and Activist Who Wants You to Erase Your DNA

Meet the Artist and Activist Who Wants You to Erase Your DNA

Heather Dewey-Hagborg wants to make sure people understand the hidden secrets in the DNA they leave behind everywhere they go.

Coded

Episode 6

Erasing Your DNA

Is a spray that can mask your DNA the frontier of personal privacy or a tool for criminals?

Coded

From Multi-Millionaire Bitcoin Entrepreneur to Inmate and…

From Multi-Millionaire Bitcoin Entrepreneur to Inmate and Back Again

The story of how Charlie Shrem built his business as a Bitcoin pioneer, lost it all, and is now clawing his way back.

Coded

Episode 5

Disrupting Money

Can a bitcoin entrepreneur on house arrest convince the world it’s the currency of the future?

The App That Sniffs Out Censorship

The App That Sniffs Out Censorship

Created by the Tor Project, the app gives internet users a new way to monitor and report online censorship around the world.

On The Cusp

This Week in Ideas: Saying Goodbye to Lab Rats and…

This Week in Ideas: Saying Goodbye to Lab Rats and Replacing Bees with Drones

Breakthrough could mean the end of test animals, violent crime nearly cut in half, and drones that pollinate flowers.

Coded

Episode 4

Nico Sell on Recruiting Hackers for Good

Nico Sell, founder and chairman of the Wickr Foundation, on teaching kids how to hack and encouraging them to use their new-found talents for good.

Coded

Nico Sell Thinks Hackers Can Be a Force for Good

Nico Sell Thinks Hackers Can Be a Force for Good

After criminals hijacked the term, Sell is on a mission to change our perception of hackers.

Coded

Episode 4

Hacking the Future

How do we make sure the next generation of hackers uses their talents for good?

On The Cusp

This Week in Ideas: Building a Cheaper MRI, Reconciling God…

This Week in Ideas: Building a Cheaper MRI, Reconciling God and AI, and The Next Einstein

Rethinking the MRI machine, how will Christianity handle advanced tech, and is this 7-year-old the next Einstein?

Coded

Meet the Digital Bodyguard for Investigative Journalists

Meet the Digital Bodyguard for Investigative Journalists

Smári McCarthy discusses his job protecting the work of journalists investigating organized crime and corruption

Coded

It’s Time for Regular Americans to Think Differently About C…

It’s Time for Regular Americans to Think Differently About Cybersecurity

If huge companies and government agencies can't manage the cyber threats, how can ordinary Americans?

Coded

The Hackers Exposing Government-Wide Crime and Corruption

The Hackers Exposing Government-Wide Crime and Corruption

Displaying the power of unique technological abilities combined with dogged investigative journalism

Coded

Episode 3

The People’s NSA

Hackers and journalists team up to expose crime and corruption around the world

On The Cusp

This Week in Ideas: Embryonic People-Pigs, the Glories of…

This Week in Ideas: Embryonic People-Pigs, the Glories of the Hubble Telescope, and American Cyber-Security

A step toward human organs in animal embryos, the Hubble Telescope was a game changer, and Americans aren't doing much to protect themselves online.

Coded

The Evolution of a Dissident: How Ladar Levison Became…

The Evolution of a Dissident: How Ladar Levison Became Someone Who Said "No" to the FBI

For Ladar Levison, founder of secure email service Lavabit, everything changed when the two FBI agents showed up at his door.

Coded

What We Mean When We Talk About Hacking

What We Mean When We Talk About Hacking

We've all heard it before: "I was hacked!" But that can mean a lot of things. We take a look at some of the big ones.

Coded

Meet the Programmer Who Defied the FBI

Meet the Programmer Who Defied the FBI

Ladar Levison spent 10 years building his business, then destroyed it all in one night when the FBI came knocking.

Coded

Episode 2

The Unhackable Email Service

Edward Snowden’s email service of choice wants to make mass surveillance obsolete.

On The Cusp

This Week in Ideas: How to Form Good Habits, the Case…

This Week in Ideas: How to Form Good Habits, the Case Against Empathy, and a Miracle Cure Derailed

From how to make good habits (and keep them) to a crisis at the NIH, it's a new edition of our week in ideas.

Coded

WATCH: Trailer for Our New Show, Coded

WATCH: Trailer for Our New Show, Coded

Meet the programmers on the frontlines of the war over security and privacy.

Coded

Trailer

Coded Trailer

Meet the programmers on the frontlines of the war over security and privacy.

Challengers

Let's Talk About Failure

Let's Talk About Failure

Are we fetishizing failure? What are the costs of failing? How do we bounce back after it inevitably happens?

Challengers

What Can We Learn From an Entrepreneur Whose Business…

What Can We Learn From an Entrepreneur Whose Business Failed?

Luke Kenworthy put everything he had into making his business work. But it didn't pan out. Now he's sharing what he learned through it all.

Challengers

Failure is Inevitable, But It Doesn't Have to Ruin Your Life

Failure is Inevitable, But It Doesn't Have to Ruin Your Life

Why learning to suck at something is the only way to get good at it.

Culture

This Week in Ideas: Good Things That Happened in 2016

This Week in Ideas: Good Things That Happened in 2016

Despite 2016 being widely panned, there were also truly good things that happened over the past year. Here are some of the big ones.

Challengers

Four Crazy Uses for Virtual Reality (That Aren't Video…

Four Crazy Uses for Virtual Reality (That Aren't Video Games)

We’re now starting to scratch the surface of the true potential of virtual reality.

Challengers

Five Insights: Linc Gasking On What Every Startup Should Be…

Five Insights: Linc Gasking On What Every Startup Should Be Shooting For

Linc Gasking, co-founder of VR startup 8i, discusses the day-to-day grind and big picture excitement of being an entrepreneur.

Challengers

Meet the Startup Creating Incredible Virtual Realities

Meet the Startup Creating Incredible Virtual Realities

8i takes video and converts it into virtual realities that are nearly indistinguishable from real life.

Challengers

Episode 5

How VR Could Change Your Life

Virtual reality could alter the human experience forever.

Challengers

Five Insights: Ryan Petersen on Tackling Problems That Feel…

Five Insights: Ryan Petersen on Tackling Problems That Feel Too Big to Fix

Flexport's founder discusses the personal and business side of building an ambitious startup.

On The Cusp

This Week in Ideas: Why D.A.R.E. Didn't Work, the Future of…

This Week in Ideas: Why D.A.R.E. Didn't Work, the Future of Cities, and is Love Actually Actually Good?

Our weekly take on the best stuff from around the web.

Challengers

Five Insights from AltSchool Founder and CEO, Max Ventilla

Five Insights from AltSchool Founder and CEO, Max Ventilla

Max Ventilla on why he thinks its time for a new way to educate kids and how his startup could be a way to do it.

Challengers

Can This Startup Build the School System of the Future?

Can This Startup Build the School System of the Future?

AltSchool wants to build a new school system based on a highly personalized education model that any school could join.

Challengers

Episode 4

Building a Better School System

A highly-personalized experience could be the foundation for the future of education.

Challengers

Dr. Leslie Dewan on the Future of Nuclear Energy

Dr. Leslie Dewan on the Future of Nuclear Energy

We dive into the viability and future of nuclear energy in the U.S. and around the world with Leslie Dewan, CEO of nuclear power startup Transatomic.

Challengers

Four Crazy Ideas From the Golden Age of Nuclear

Four Crazy Ideas From the Golden Age of Nuclear

For a couple decades people thought nuclear power was the answer to pretty much everything. And they came up with some ideas we’ll generously call visionary.

Challengers

Three Reasons We Don't Have More Nuclear Power in the U.S.

Three Reasons We Don't Have More Nuclear Power in the U.S.

Many think of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island when they hear nuclear power. But nuclear's struggle to gain a foothold in the U.S. is more nuanced than isolated safety problems.

Challengers

Can This Startup Power the World With Nuclear?

Can This Startup Power the World With Nuclear?

Leslie Dewan and her team at Transatomic believe they've figured out a safe, scalable, cost-effective way to power the world with nuclear.

Challengers

Episode 10

Leslie Dewan on Learning from Failure

Dr. Leslie Dewan, CEO of nuclear power startup Transatomic, discusses the importance of entrepreneurs' ability ...

Challengers

Episode 3

Powering the World With Nuclear

Transatomic believes they've figured out a safe, scalable, cost-effective way to power the world with nuclear.

On The Cusp

This Week in Ideas: The End of Checkout Lines,…

This Week in Ideas: The End of Checkout Lines, Photoshopping Your Voice, and a New Way to Pay for a Ride

Amazon's new grocery store, Adobe's new tech can make you say anything, and pay for the bus by watching an ad.

Challengers

You Should Start Learning About Artificial Intelligence.…

You Should Start Learning About Artificial Intelligence. Here's How.

There are a lot of different levels of artificial intelligence being applied in a lot of different ways. Here's a primer for starting to wrap your head around it all.

Challengers

Five Insights: Scott Phoenix on Creating AI and Building a…

Five Insights: Scott Phoenix on Creating AI and Building a Company Around a Crazy Idea

Scott Phoenix, founder of Vicarious, shares insights on the development of artificial intelligence and why this is a great time to be alive.

Challengers

Meet the Startup Developing Human-Level Artificial…

Meet the Startup Developing Human-Level Artificial Intelligence

The story of Vicarious' mission to build the world's first human-level artificial intelligence and use it to help humanity thrive.

Challengers

Episode 2

Can AI Solve Our Biggest Problems?

Vicarious believes smart machines could solve virtually every problem humans can’t.

On The Cusp

This Week in Ideas: Fighting Addiction With Implants, Using…

This Week in Ideas: Fighting Addiction With Implants, Using VR to Educate, Amazon Prime Gets Primer

An arm implant to treat opioid addiction, teaching hair stylists with VR, and a potential Amazon Prime game changer.

Challengers

An American Entrepreneur on the Importance of Chinese…

An American Entrepreneur on the Importance of Chinese Manufacturing

Greg Shugar, founder of Tie Bar and Thread Experiment, discusses why his businesses wouldn’t have been possible without Chinese factories.

Challengers

This Startup Wants to Make Everything You Buy Cheaper

This Startup Wants to Make Everything You Buy Cheaper

Flexport's app is built to make global trade easier. If they're successful, it could mean everything you buy will cost less.

Challengers

Episode 1

An App for Global Trade

Flexport thinks bringing trade into the 21st century could improve lives around the globe.

The New Space Race

This is The New Space Race

This is The New Space Race

It’s been 44 years since a human stepped on the moon, and a new generation of entrepreneurs is laying the groundwork for us to go back.

Challengers

Trailer

Challengers Trailer

Fast Company presents a Freethink original series about entrepreneurs building companies that could transform entire industries and change the world.

This is Our Superhuman Future

This is Our Superhuman Future

With Thanksgiving winding down, take some time to join us on a journey to the frontier of medical technology.

Challengers

Meet the Entrepreneurs Disrupting Industries and Changing…

Meet the Entrepreneurs Disrupting Industries and Changing the World

Fast Company and Freethink bring you powerful stories of a new generation of entrepreneurs.

Culture

This Week in Ideas: Unveiling Google Earth VR, China Goes…

This Week in Ideas: Unveiling Google Earth VR, China Goes All in on CRISPR, Cuba's Cancer Vaccine

Google releases some beautiful VR, human trials of gene-editing technology CRISPR, and importing Cuba's cancer vaccine.

Culture

What We Need Right Now Is a Little Bit of Hans Rosling

What We Need Right Now Is a Little Bit of Hans Rosling

The Swedish public health researcher says that, contrary to most of what you hear, the world is actually moving in the right direction.

Culture

This Week in Ideas: A $1 Microscope, Healing Our Divisions,…

This Week in Ideas: A $1 Microscope, Healing Our Divisions, Planet Earth is Back

Democratizing microscopes, how we heal our political divisions, and BBC's Planet Earth returns. These are our favorite stories of the week.

The New Space Race

Why the U.S. Government Treated Satellites and Machine Guns…

Why the U.S. Government Treated Satellites and Machine Guns as the Same for 15 Years

Regulations forced companies that planned to sell satellites to other countries to register, in effect, as arms dealers.

New Space Race

How Do We Respond to Crimes in Space?

How Do We Respond to Crimes in Space?

As talk of space colonization heats up, is it time to have a serious conversation about conflict resolution in a place where few rules or laws exist?

The New Space Race

Preparing the First Space Colonizers for Life Off of Planet…

Preparing the First Space Colonizers for Life Off of Planet Earth

It’s only a matter of time until the average person can explore space. But, will the average person be ready?

The New Space Race

Episode 5

Preparing for Outer Space

As the tech side of space travel advances, an annual gathering focuses on life off of planet earth.

Science

The Four Weirdest Things We've Sent to Space

The Four Weirdest Things We've Sent to Space

We take a look at a few of the not-so-obviously-bizarre things we've launched beyond the earth's atmosphere.

Culture

How a Sci-Fi Enthusiast Decided to Memorialize His Best…

How a Sci-Fi Enthusiast Decided to Memorialize His Best Friend

The story of how one man gave his space-loving best friend a final resting place in the final frontier.

The New Space Race

Who Owns the Moon?

Who Owns the Moon?

Throughout history, different organizations, governments, and even individuals have attempted to establish rules for, and ownership of, outer space.

The New Space Race

Can This Startup Give Everyone Access to the Moon?

Can This Startup Give Everyone Access to the Moon?

With advanced navigational technology, Astrobotic wants to provide a routine, affordable, and accurate delivery service to the moon.

Culture

This Week in Ideas: Beer That Delivers Itself, Chatbots…

This Week in Ideas: Beer That Delivers Itself, Chatbots From Beyond, and How to Set a Very Strange World Record

Uber's self-driving beer truck, how a chatbot can help the grieving process, and more of our favorite stories from the week.

Science

Why Don't We Believe Extreme Weather Forecasts?

Why Don't We Believe Extreme Weather Forecasts?

Research shows people don't take extreme weather predictions seriously. And don't take the necessary precautions as a result.

The New Space Race

The Market for Tiny Satellites Is Going to Be Huge

The Market for Tiny Satellites Is Going to Be Huge

Fleets of small satellites can gather far more accurate and timely data than conventional satellites. And investors are taking notice.

The New Space Race

The Startup That May Be On the Cusp of Revolutionizing the…

The Startup That May Be On the Cusp of Revolutionizing the Satellite Industry

Spire's satellites fit in the palm of your hand, cost a fraction of their predecessors, and transmit more data than several behemoth satellites combined.

The New Space Race

Episode 4

Tiny Satellites With a Huge Impact

Many satellites are nearing the end of their life. This is what could be next.

This Week in Ideas: Using Drones for Medicine, Fighting…

This Week in Ideas: Using Drones for Medicine, Fighting Zika, Re-Imagining Passwords

Reimagining how we get medicine to people, using genetically modified mosquitoes to fight Zika, and selfies as passwords. These are the stories that got us talking.

The New Space Race

Here's What Happens to the Human Body in Outer Space

Here's What Happens to the Human Body in Outer Space

As the idea of colonizing space becomes mainstream, it’s important to keep in mind that traveling in outer space does some crazy stuff to our bodies.

The New Space Race

What Happens When Stuff Breaks in Space?

What Happens When Stuff Breaks in Space?

Despite rigorous prep, astronauts often have to improvise when things go wrong in space. And a lot more duct tape is involved than you may expect.

The New Space Race

Why This Startup Believes 3D Printing in Space Will Be a…

Why This Startup Believes 3D Printing in Space Will Be a Game Changer

Sending things into space is really expensive. But what if we didn't have to? What if everything in space was made in space?

The New Space Race

Episode 2

Can We Make It In Space?

What if one day, everything in space was made in space? 3D printing may hold the answer.

The New Space Race

What a Controversial Asteroid Mission Tells Us About U.S.…

What a Controversial Asteroid Mission Tells Us About U.S. Space Policy

Billions spent on projects of questionable benefit - like the plan to capture an asteroid - raises the question: Should NASA take a back seat in the 21st century space race?

The New Space Race

Where Did the Commercial Space Sector Come From?

Where Did the Commercial Space Sector Come From?

Private companies have worked with NASA for decades. Can the next generation of space companies get by without the government as their biggest customer?

The New Space Race

Can XCOR Build the World's First Airline for Space?

Can XCOR Build the World's First Airline for Space?

Out of a small hangar in the Mojave Desert, XCOR is developing a rocket ship designed to fly to space four times a day, five days a week.

Culture

This Week in Ideas: Rockets in Flight, Poverty in Decline,…

This Week in Ideas: Rockets in Flight, Poverty in Decline, and Explaining the Unexplainable

A step forward for space tourism, extreme poverty could be on its way out, and illustrating advanced tech. These are our favorite stories of the week.

The New Space Race

The New Space Race is Here

The New Space Race is Here

Our new show will introduce you to the people and the technology that could make humans a multi-planetary species in the coming century.

Culture

The Fake Disease That Saved Rome's Jews

The Fake Disease That Saved Rome's Jews

Dr. Giovanni Borromeo dreamed up a brilliant scheme that saved dozens of Jewish families in Rome from Nazi persecution.

The New Space Race

Episode 3

A Delivery Service for the Moon

This startup wants to offer the world insanely accurate shipping to the moon.

The New Space Race

Episode 1

Four Flights a Day. Five Days a Week.

At XCOR, the dream of taking regular commercial flights to space is alive and well.

The New Space Race

Trailer

New Space Race Trailer

Meet the next generation of explorers taking us higher and farther than ever before.

This Week In Ideas: An Artificial Pancreas, Google's New…

This Week In Ideas: An Artificial Pancreas, Google's New Translation Tech, and a Massive Mars Rocket

An incredible medical breakthrough, Google ups the ante, and the SpaceX Mars rocket. These are our favorite stories of the week.

Science

What to Expect In a Post-Meat Future

What to Expect In a Post-Meat Future

From advanced plant-based meat alternatives to real meat grown in a lab, the days of eating meat from once-living animals could be numbered.

Change Agents

Episode 11

Could Ugly Produce Change the World?

Meet the startup that wants to sell you ugly fruits and veggies

Culture

Elon Musk Explains the Economics of Getting to Mars

Elon Musk Explains the Economics of Getting to Mars

The SpaceX founder gave a rousing presentation on his company’s long-term plan for getting to Mars and establishing a civilization there.

This week in ideas: How VR changes our dreams, a stem cell…

This week in ideas: How VR changes our dreams, a stem cell miracle, and the shoes of the future

Virtual reality users experience more lucid dreams, a paralyzed man gets movement back, and self-lacing shoes. These are our favorite stories this week.

This Computer Can Write 2,000 Snarky Articles Per Second

This Computer Can Write 2,000 Snarky Articles Per Second

What does it mean for the future of journalism when a computer can turn mounds of data into a cohesive narrative?

Culture

This Army Sergeant Started a 24-Hour Hotline For Service…

This Army Sergeant Started a 24-Hour Hotline For Service Members with PTSD

First Sgt. Landon Jackson battled with severe PTSD and turned his experience into a 24 hour hotline that gives service members an outlet whenever they need it.

Self-Driving Cars are Finally Here. Sort Of.

Self-Driving Cars are Finally Here. Sort Of.

Uber rolled out self-driving cars in Pittsburgh, but they're not totally autonomous. Yet. Under Pennsylvania law, every car still needs an operator.

Superhuman

Meet the Wounded Veteran Using Bionics to Take Back His…

Meet the Wounded Veteran Using Bionics to Take Back His Independence

Jerral lost his left arm in Iraq. Now he's working with a team from Johns Hopkins to test a prosthetic arm that works by reading signals in his skin.

Superhuman

Episode 6

Gaining Independence with the World's Most Advanced Prosthetic Arm

Jerral was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq and left paralyzed. Now he's partnering with researchers to regain his independence. »

Culture

This Week in Ideas: Reasons to Feel Good About Humanity

This Week in Ideas: Reasons to Feel Good About Humanity

A paralyzed woman runs a half marathon in an exoskeleton, Sri Lanka defeats malaria, incomes are rising. Here's some good news since most of what we hear is just the bad.

Science

A Regulatory Fight Is Brewing Over Experimental Stem Cell…

A Regulatory Fight Is Brewing Over Experimental Stem Cell Therapies

New proposed regulations from the FDA would effectively shut down private stem cell clinics in the U.S.

Science

The Future of Sports and Human Performance

The Future of Sports and Human Performance

Unpacking the science behind human performance with The Sports Gene author David Epstein

Superhuman

The Experimental Procedure That Can Reverse Blindness

The Experimental Procedure That Can Reverse Blindness

Doctors told Vanna she was permanently blind. But thanks to an experimental procedure, she can see.

Superhuman

Episode 5

Reversing Blindness

Vanna was legally blind. Now she can see. Hear her inspiring story and meet the amazing doctors who gave her back her sight.

Can Tech Giants Get Ahead of A.I.?

Can Tech Giants Get Ahead of A.I.?

Companies gather to discuss impact of A.I. A possible neural lace breakthrough. And unmanned cargo ships. This is the coolest stuff we've read this week.

How Do We Scale Bionic Technology?

How Do We Scale Bionic Technology?

Right now, assistive bionic technology is really cool and really expensive. This is how it will get better and cheaper.

What to Expect at the First Cyborg Olympics

What to Expect at the First Cyborg Olympics

The event will seek to answer one of the most interesting technology questions of the early 21st century: How close are we to integrating humans with machines?

Science

Could Your Brain Regenerate Like Skin?

Could Your Brain Regenerate Like Skin?

Brain regeneration used to be considered a medical fantasy. But research shows that fantasy could eventually become a reality.

Superhuman

Meet the Paralyzed Man Who Can Walk Again

Meet the Paralyzed Man Who Can Walk Again

Robert is paralyzed from the chest down. But now a robotic exoskeleton is giving him what he calls "a second chance at life."

Superhuman

Episode 4

A Life Changed by Robotic Legs

Robert is paralyzed. But thanks to a robotic exoskeleton, he can walk again.

Will Robots Steal Our Jobs?

Will Robots Steal Our Jobs?

Could exoskeletons help us do our jobs? Should we actually be afraid of robots taking our jobs? These are the latest stories from the frontlines of the robotic world.

Assistive Tech Doesn't Have to be High Tech

Assistive Tech Doesn't Have to be High Tech

The story of how 3D printing gave Ryan Hines a chance to regain his independence for $150. And how he's now offering the same chance to others.

Technology

Prosthetics Enter a New Age of Beautiful Form and…

Prosthetics Enter a New Age of Beautiful Form and Incredible Function

For centuries, prosthetics didn't change much at all, but the past 10 years has seen an incredible leap forward in the way they look and work.

Superhuman

Everything You Wanted to Know About the World's Most…

Everything You Wanted to Know About the World's Most Advanced Bionic Arm

A fascinating interview with Michael P. McLoughlin, the chief engineer of research and exploratory development at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.

Superhuman

Meet the Man with the Most Advanced Prosthetic Arm in the…

Meet the Man with the Most Advanced Prosthetic Arm in the World

Johnny Matheny has been working with doctors at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab to test a prosthetic arm that is controlled with your thoughts.

A Lay Person's Guide to Biohacking

A Lay Person's Guide to Biohacking

We're living in a golden age of people exploring high and low tech methods to optimize our bodies.

Technology

How to Send Mail to a Person With No Address

How to Send Mail to a Person With No Address

Millions of people have no address. They can’t get mail, they can't vote, they can’t get aid, and they don’t have rights. One company wants to change that.

Superhuman

Episode 3

The Real Bionic Man

After losing part of his arm to cancer, Johnny now has one of the world's most advanced prosthetics.

Science

How to Rebuild a Broken Brain

How to Rebuild a Broken Brain

The unbelievable story of the day Jordan Riley was declared brain dead and his journey of re-learning how to be human.

Superhuman

Episode 2

Conor Russomanno on Exploring Our Limits

Could linking our brains to computers allow the mind to control the world outside of our bodies?

Superhuman

The 3D-printed helmet that can read your mind. Could it…

The 3D-printed helmet that can read your mind. Could it change the world?

OpenBCI has developed technology that allows you to control the world outside your body with your brain waves.

Superhuman

Episode 2

Open Sourcing the Brain

Open BCI has developed a 3D-printed headset that allows your brain to interact with computers in amazing ways.

Superhuman

Episode 9

Karen Aiach on Doing the Impossible

When Karen Aiach decided to quit her finance job in 2005 in order to find a ...

Superhuman

Meet the Mom Curing Her Daughter's Incurable Disease

Meet the Mom Curing Her Daughter's Incurable Disease

Karen Aiach isn't a doctor and has never worked in medicine. But when doctors said her daughter wouldn't live past adolescence, she knew she had to get to work.

Superhuman

Episode 1

The Promise of Gene Therapy

When Karen was told her daughter had an incurable disease, she started a gene therapy company to find a cure.

Superhuman

Trailer

Superhuman Trailer

Join us as we meet the innovators building our superhuman future.

Science

The Fascinating Story of How AIDS Activism Helped Usher in…

The Fascinating Story of How AIDS Activism Helped Usher in a "Right to Try" Movement

Should terminally ill patients be allowed to try experimental procedures? Hear the amazing, true story of the AIDS activists who fought for a "right to try." And won.

Superhuman

Is the Miracle Medicine of the Future About to Become the…

Is the Miracle Medicine of the Future About to Become the Totally Real Medicine of the Present?

Gene therapy uses a virus to replace missing or defective genes. It sounds counterintuitive, but it could be the key to curing previously incurable diseases.

Superhuman

Three Women Who Changed the Way We Think About Medicine

Three Women Who Changed the Way We Think About Medicine

From newborn health to AIDS treatment to DNA research, these brilliant women paved the way for incredible advances in the field of medicine.