The untold story of Rio’s largest favela
Meet the proud, hopeful, ambitious people determined to build the life they’ve dreamed of.
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.
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...
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...
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.
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...
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.
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.
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?
Meet the digital bodyguard for investigative journalists
Smári McCarthy discusses his job protecting the work of journalists investigating organized crime and corruption
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?
The hackers exposing government-wide crime and corruption
Displaying the power of unique technological abilities combined with dogged investigative journalism
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...
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...
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.
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.
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.
Watch: Trailer for our new show, Coded
Meet the programmers on the frontlines of the war over security and privacy.
Let's talk about failure
Are we fetishizing failure? What are the costs of failing? How do we bounce back after it inevitably happens?
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...
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.
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...
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.
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...
Meet the startup creating incredible virtual realities
8i takes video and converts it into virtual realities that are nearly indistinguishable from real life.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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...
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...
Three reasons we don't have more nuclear power in the US
Many think of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island when they hear nuclear power. But nuclear's struggle to gain a...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
This is our superhuman future
With Thanksgiving winding down, take some time to join us on a journey to the frontier of medical technology.
Meet the entrepreneurs disrupting industries and changing the world
Fast Company and Freethink bring you powerful stories of a new generation of entrepreneurs.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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.
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.
Who owns the moon?
Throughout history, different organizations, governments, and even individuals have attempted to establish rules...
Can this startup give everyone access to the moon?
With advanced navigational technology, Astrobotic wants to provide a routine, affordable, and accurate delivery...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
What a controversial asteroid mission tells us about US space policy
Billions spent on projects of questionable benefit - like the plan to capture an asteroid - raises the question:...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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?
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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.
The future of sports and human performance
Unpacking the science behind human performance with The Sports Gene author David Epstein
The experimental procedure that can reverse blindness
Doctors told Vanna she was permanently blind. But thanks to an experimental procedure, she can see.
Can tech giants get ahead of AI?
Companies gather to discuss impact of A.I. A possible neural lace breakthrough. And unmanned cargo ships. This is...
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...
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...
Could your brain regenerate like skin?
Brain regeneration used to be considered a medical fantasy. But research shows that fantasy could eventually become...
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...
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...
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...
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 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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
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.
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...
The fascinating story of how AIDS activism helped usher in a "Right to Try" laws
Should terminally ill patients be allowed to try experimental procedures? Hear the amazing, true story of the AIDS...
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...
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...