Status: Featured

To promote content in various display modules across the site

satnav moon
Aerospace
NASA and ESA are racing to bring GPS to the moon
Two upcoming space missions by NASA and ESA could help bring satellite navigation (satnav) to the moon and cislunar space.
Kristin Houser
artificial penis tissue
Biology
Artificial penis tissue restores erections in injured pigs
Artificial penis tissue that restored erections in injured pigs might one day do the same for people with erectile dysfunction.
Kristin Houser
AI
Microsoft plans to use ChatGPT in Bing. Here’s why it could be a threat to Google.
Language models could transform the ways we engage with search engines.
Stephen Johnson
mtdna
Medicine
Mother’s mitochondria used to treat her child’s rare genetic disorder
A new therapy that treats children with rare mtDNA mutations using mitochondria sourced from their mothers has now been tested in patients.
Kristin Houser
Virology
New mRNA universal flu vaccine against all known subtypes takes promising first steps
A new universal flu vaccine candidate that uses mRNA to target all known flu subtypes looks promising in animal models.
B. David Zarley
Climate Crisis
The mail is finally going electric (its trucks, anyway)
After withering criticism from the EPA, Biden officials, and 16 states, the USPS has announced it will order more electric delivery vehicles.
B. David Zarley
automated restaurant
Robotics
McDonald’s opens its first automated restaurant in Texas
McDonald’s has opened a new highly automated restaurant, giving customers a first look at the potential future of fast food.
Kristin Houser
AI
We gave ChatGPT a college-level microbiology quiz. It blew the quiz away.
A microbiologist devised a quiz that would be appropriate as a final exam for college-level microbiology students. ChatGPT blew it away.
Alex Berezow
pictures of snowflakes
Art
World’s highest-res pictures of snowflakes combine art and tech
Former Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold custom built a camera system to take the world’s highest-resolution pictures of snowflakes.
Kristin Houser
producing hydrogen leds
Clean Energy
New experiment produces hydrogen with LEDs
Quantum simulations have identified a cheap way of extracting hydrogen fuel from liquid ammonia using LED light.
Sam Jarman
space missions 2023
Aerospace
The 12 most exciting space missions of 2023
2023 will see the launch of new rockets, the return of OSIRIS-REx, and a mission to Jupiter that could help us find extraterrestrial life.
Kristin Houser
far-uvc light
Medicine
Seven science and tech breakthroughs you may have missed this year
A roundup of major science and tech achievements that flew under the radar in 2022, including new vaccines, advanced solar cells, and more.
Kristin Houser
chatgpt search engines
AI
Search engines and AI will make each other better
The tech behind ChatGPT isn’t ready to overthrow Google, but it could fix what’s wrong with search engines.
Shubham Agarwal
Medicine
Engineered bacteria may one day prevent kidney stones
In a small proof-of-concept study, an engineered E. coli was able to reduce levels of a kidney stone-causing chemical.
B. David Zarley
Brain
Researchers have developed a way to “decode” depression
Baylor College of Medicine researchers have developed an electrode-based “mood decoder” capable of mapping brain activity to mood.
B. David Zarley
gamma waves
Neuroscience
MIT is testing light and sound to combat Alzheimer’s
MIT researchers are developing a therapy that uses 40-Hz light and sound to alter Alzheimer’s patients’ gamma waves.
Kristin Houser
cultivated meat factory
Food
World’s biggest cultivated meat factory is being built in the US
Israeli startup Believer Meats is building the world’s biggest cultivated meat factory in Wilson, North Carolina.
Kristin Houser
AI
Generative AI: The technology of the year for 2022
It's made headlines so often that there is no question that 2022 will be remembered as the year that Generative AI stunned the world.
Louis Rosenberg
energy storage
Clean Energy
New battery is cheaper than lithium-ion with four times the capacity
A new type of room temperature sodium-sulfur (RT Na-S) battery could help solve the renewable energy storage problem.
Kristin Houser
neeva search engine
AI
Ad-free search engine to launch ChatGPT-like AI feature
The ad-free Neeva search engine is adding an AI feature that will answer user queries with conversational text, rather than lists of links.
Kristin Houser
car t-cell therapy
Medicine
First-of-its-kind therapy sends girl’s incurable cancer into remission
A first-of-its-kind CAR T-cell therapy sent a UK girl’s blood cancer into remission when all other treatments failed.
Kristin Houser
neo surveyor
Asteroids
World’s first asteroid-hunting spacecraft to launch in 2028
NASA has announced plans to launch the world’s first asteroid-hunting spacecraft — the $1.2 billion NEO Surveyor — in 2028.
Kristin Houser
mrna cancer vaccine
Medicine
Moderna’s mRNA cancer vaccine reduces risk of recurrence or death by 44%
Moderna’s new mRNA cancer vaccine reduced melanoma patients’ risk of recurrence or death by 44% compared to a standard treatment alone.
Kristin Houser
lunar lander
Aerospace
SpaceX launches groundbreaking Japanese lunar lander
A lunar lander built by Japanese aerospace startup ispace is poised to be the first private spacecraft to soft land on the moon.
Kristin Houser
prevent COVID-19
Coronavirus
Cheap liver drug can prevent COVID-19
A cheap, readily available drug used to treat liver disease could also prevent COVID-19 infections — regardless of the variant.
Kristin Houser
gene drive
CRISPR
New CRISPR tech makes it possible to wipe out invasive mice
Australian researchers have developed a gene drive that renders female mice infertile, opening the door to a new type of pest control.
Kristin Houser
protein folding AI
AI
“DALL-E 2 of biology” designs proteins for new drugs
The Chroma AI's ability to design proteins with structures no one has ever seen before could revolutionize medicine.
Kristin Houser
new minerals
Astronomy
Scientists discover two brand new minerals in massive meteorite
A massive, 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite located in Somalia contains two new minerals never seen before in nature.
Kristin Houser
flying taxis
Transportation
Startup unveils flying taxis expected to soar over NYC in 2025
Startup Archer Aviation has just unveiled Midnight, its first electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle.
Kristin Houser
using chatgpt
AI
Five creative ways people are using ChatGPT
Internet users are getting creative with OpenAI’s new chatbot, ChatGPT, using it to plot movies, write menus, and more.
Kristin Houser
genetically engineered houseplant
Biology
Startup unveils $179 houseplant engineered to purify your air
Neoplants' $179 genetically engineered houseplant pulls VOCs from the air 30 times more efficiently than plants found in nature.
Kristin Houser
fecal transplant therapy
Medicine
FDA approves US’s first fecal transplant therapy
The FDA has approved Rebyota, a slurry used during fecal transplant therapy to treat recurrent C. difficile infections.
Kristin Houser
medical robots
Brain
Magnets pull these tiny medical robots deep into the brain
LA-based startup Bionaut Labs is developing micro-sized medical robots that are guided through the body by magnets.
Kristin Houser
1784 naver labs
Robotics
“Korean Google” opens the world’s first robot-friendly building
Tech giant Naver Corporation designed its new headquarters, 1784, to be a "robot-friendly" testing ground for its latest technologies.
Kristin Houser
ai chatbot
AI
An interview with ChatGPT about itself
Freethink interviews OpenAI’s ChatGPT, an AI chatbot capable of generating conversational text, code, and more in response to prompts.
Kristin Houser and Daniel Bier
hydrogen fuel
Aerospace
Rolls-Royce tests its first hydrogen-powered plane engine
Rolls-Royce and easyJet have demonstrated for the first time that a modern plane engine can be safely powered by hydrogen fuel.
Kristin Houser
Hard Reset Gift Guide
Exploring "Hard Reset," we've discovered amazing technologies and products. With the year's end and gift-giving in mind, we've created a gift guide. Each item encourages rethinking aspects of life, just like our show. These gifts will inspire and spark conversations, offering fresh ideas for loved ones.
5 Episodes
AI
Diplomacy game AI can negotiate, form alliances, and persuade people
The game of Diplomacy, based on social skills, has long been seen as a tough challenge for AI. But Meta’s CICERO has proven itself up to the task.
B. David Zarley
gas giant Wasp-39b
Aerospace
Astronomers detect “mystery molecule” in exoplanet’s atmosphere
Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, we now know more about the atmosphere of WASP-39b, a distant gas giant, than any other exoplanet.
Kristin Houser
ultra-thin solar cells
Aerospace
New ultra-thin solar cells could be the future of space power
Ultra-thin solar cells could extend the operational lifetimes of satellites while also making missions less costly and more efficient.
Sam Jarman
rocket engine
Aerospace
Australia’s first rocket set to launch in 2023
Gilmour Space expects to launch its first rocket in 2023, which will add Australia to the short list of nations to send rockets to space.
Kristin Houser
brain cancer vaccine
Medicine
New brain cancer vaccine completes clinical trial
Northwest Biotherapeutics reports that its new brain cancer vaccine can extend glioblastoma patients’ lives by months or even years.
Kristin Houser
mining truck
Clean Energy
Construction juggernaut unveils huge electric mining truck
Construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar has demonstrated its first battery-electric large mining truck.
Kristin Houser
chemo pump
Medicine
New chemo pump for brain tumors could avoid side effects
A fully implantable chemo pump could help extend the lives of people with deadly brain tumors while minimizing treatment side effects.
Kristin Houser
hemophilia b treatment
Medicine
$3.5 million treatment for hemophilia wins FDA approval
The FDA has approved biotech company CSL Behring's Hemgenix, a hemophilia B treatment that costs $3.5 million per dose.
Kristin Houser
holocaust photos
AI
AI is helping to ID victims in Holocaust photos
The new website From Numbers to Names uses facial recognition tech to identify previously anonymous faces in Holocaust photos.
Kristin Houser
permanent magnets
Clean Energy
This meteorite material could power our clean energy future
A lab-made version of tetrataenite, a mineral found in meteorites, could replace rare earth elements in the production of permanent magnets.
Kristin Houser
binge eating disorder
Neuroscience
Electrically stimulating the brain helps stop binge eating
Two people with binge eating disorder reported that deep brain stimulation helped them control their eating and lose weight in a small study.
Kristin Houser
crispr cancer treatment
CRISPR
New CRISPR cancer treatment tested in humans for first time
A new personalized CRISPR cancer treatment modifies the immune system's T cells to help them recognize a specific patient's tumor cells.
Kristin Houser
orion spacecraft
Aerospace
NASA’s Orion spacecraft sends back first images
NASA has shared the first images from its Orion spacecraft, which is expected to do a lunar flyby on November 21.
Kristin Houser
lab-grown chicken
Food
Lab-grown meat clears major FDA hurdle
Startup UPSIDE Foods’ lab-grown chicken has passed a key FDA checkpoint, putting cultured meat one step closer to sale in the US.
Kristin Houser
An open source tool to unlock cures
In partnership with Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
There are 37 trillion cells in your body. This discovery platform lets scientists map them.
Virology
Moderna to develop mRNA vaccines for Ebola
Moderna is reportedly nearing a deal with the DoD to develop mRNA vaccines for biological threats like Ebola
B. David Zarley
deep brain stimulator
Neuroscience
New deep brain stimulator is powered automatically by breathing
A deep brain stimulator powered by breathing could eliminate the need for patients to undergo regular battery-change surgeries.
Kristin Houser
epidural electrical stimulation
Neuroscience
Spinal cord stimulation helps paralyzed patients walk again
Swiss researchers have used epidural electrical stimulation to restore walking in nine people with chronic spinal cord injuries.
Mo Costandi
Public Health
African researchers push for a human challenge trial to fight TB
Tuberculosis kills over a million people a year. Researchers in Malawi are pushing for a clinical trial that may help change that.
B. David Zarley
3d printing in microgravity
3D Printing
ISS experiment will 3D print a body part in microgravity 
An International Space Station experiment to test 3D-printing in microgravity could help end the organ shortage on Earth.
Kristin Houser
Medicine
A malaria-fighting antibody has passed phase 2 trials
An antibody designed to prevent malaria infection has proven effective in phase 2 trials in Mali.
B. David Zarley
robotaxi
Transportation
Cruise robotaxi service is quickly expanding
General Motors subsidiary Cruise is quickly expanding its commercial robotaxi service to more cities in the US.
Kristin Houser
window coating
Climate Crisis
Quantum computer designs heat-radiating window coating
Notre Dame researchers have used quantum computing to design a transparent window coating that reflects heat into the atmosphere.
Kristin Houser
Neuroscience
New study will put the leading theory about Alzheimer’s to the test
Washington University in St. Louis is embarking on a drug trial that may also put the amyloid hypothesis to its ultimate test.
B. David Zarley
isru lunar soil
Aerospace
Chinese robot helps convert moon dust into fuel and oxygen 
Chinese researchers have built an autonomous robot to set up an ISRU system for converting lunar soil into fuel and oxygen.
Kristin Houser
This cheap material could capture CO2 from power plants before it pollutes the atmosphere
The simple compound costs just a fraction of similar carbon-capturing materials.
Stephen Johnson
crisprd food
CRISPR
7 ways CRISPR is shaping the future of food 
Using the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR, researchers are altering crops and animals to add desirable traits and remove undesirable ones.
Kristin Houser
newborn hearing screening
Healthcare
These earbuds can tell if a newborn has hearing problems
A newborn hearing screening device made from off-the-shelf earbuds is as effective as expensive commercial options.
Kristin Houser
lunar water
Aerospace
NASA “Flashlight” will hunt for hidden water on the moon
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight mission will use reflections from laser light to measure lunar water hidden in permanently shadowed craters.
Kristin Houser
Inside Dubai’s solar megaplant   
In partnership with Dubai Future Foundation
Dubai built the world’s largest single-site solar plant - and it’s just getting started.
mars crate
Astronomy
Meteorite blasts “biggest new crater” NASA has ever seen into Mars 
A meteorite impact that caused a marsquake and created a massive new Mars crater could shape our plans to send people to the Red Planet.
Kristin Houser
Medicine
Australian researchers have manufactured a living blood vessel 
A blood vessel isn’t just a simple tube. Researchers at the University of Sydney have developed an implant capable of mimicking its complexities.
B. David Zarley
molten salt reactor
Clean Energy
Molten salt reactors could save nuclear power
Molten salt reactors, a type of nuclear reactor first explored in the 1950s, could be the future of clean energy.
Kristin Houser
AI-generated images
AI
Shutterstock will sell AI images — and compensate artists 
Shutterstock will make AI-generated images available on its website, while also compensating creators for helping train the AI.
Kristin Houser
flash radiotherapy
Medicine
Experimental “FLASH” cancer treatment aces first human trial
The first-in-human trial of FLASH radiotherapy found the experimental cancer treatment to be safe and effective.
Kristin Houser
positioning system
Aerospace
Starlink satellites can be reverse-engineered to create new GPS
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite mega-constellation could be used to create a new, more secure global positioning system for the US Army.
Kristin Houser
Dubai's startup scene
Inside Dubai's startup scene
In partnership with Dubai Future Foundation
Tiny home village
Homelessness
New tiny home village for unhoused people to open in 2023
Salt Lake City is building a new tiny home village to help Utahns experiencing chronic homelessness get off the street permanently.
Kristin Houser
hydroponic farm
Agriculture
Supermarket uses hydroponic farm to grow veggies onsite
By installing a hydroponic farm inside a grocery store, an Egyptian company is combating climate change while delivering a fresher product.
Kristin Houser
solar geoengineering
Climate Crisis
The US is researching ways to block the sun
The US is developing a plan to study solar geoengineering, a controversial approach to combatting the effects of climate change.
Kristin Houser
rooftop wind energy
Clean Energy
New motionless tech harnesses wind energy from rooftops
Aeromine Technologies’ motionless wind energy system promises to increase the amount of renewable energy generated from rooftops.
Kristin Houser
lsst camera
Astronomy
Astronomers unveil world’s largest digital camera
In 2024, the LSST Camera will begin a 10-year-long survey of space that could revolutionize astronomy — if LEOsats don’t get in the way.
Kristin Houser
How Dubai is building roads in the sky
In partnership with Dubai Future Foundation
The Jestons taught us to dream of futuristic cities. Now, Dubai is building one.
vr app
VR
New VR app lets you step inside your smartphone videos 
Early-stage startup Wist Labs is developing a VR app that converts smartphone clips into 3D videos users can step inside.
Kristin Houser
Planet Earth
Space junk created the world’s largest dump. Here’s how we can fix it.
From "laser brooms" to massive nets, space organizations have proposed many ways to clean up the mess of space debris.
Stephen Johnson
AI disease screening
AI
AI is able to spot diseases before symptoms appear
New AI tools are helping doctors screen healthy patients for diseases early, when treatments are most effective.
Kristin Houser
Medicine
UK scientists solve a decades-long blood mystery
Researchers have discovered a new blood group which may have been behind the tragic loss of two babies.
B. David Zarley
plastic recycling
Sustainability
New process could make plastic recycling more profitable 
A new process that combines chemical recycling with engineered bacteria could make plastic recycling more profitable.
Kristin Houser
meta connect 2022
Metaverse
Meta unveils new VR headset for work in the metaverse 
Connect 2022 brought Meta’s vision of the future of work into sharper focus, with the reveal of a new headset, a major partnership, and more.
Kristin Houser
Dimorphos
Asteroids
NASA’s mission proves it can redirect an asteroid — and potentially save Earth
NASA has confirmed that its DART spacecraft altered the orbit of the Dimorphos asteroid — a huge win for planetary defense efforts.
Kristin Houser
spina bifida treatment
Surgery
First-of-its-kind surgery may have helped reverse baby’s paralysis 
The first recipient of a groundbreaking spina bifida treatment is now one year old and showing no signs of leg paralysis.
Kristin Houser
whitest paint
Climate Crisis
World’s whitest paint is now thin enough for cars, planes
A new, thinner version of the world’s whitest paint could slash the need for climate-harming air conditioning in cars, airplanes, and more.
Kristin Houser
planetary defense
Asteroids
How NASA plans to stop killer asteroids 
NASA's planetary defense researchers are tracking potentially hazardous objects in space and developing tech to destroy or deflect them.
Kristin Houser
artificial retinas
Prosthetics
A cure for blindness may be first product made in space 
An ISS experiment suggests that manufacturing artificial retinas in space will make them more effective at reversing blindness.
Kristin Houser
Medicine
A modified herpes virus completely wiped out a terminal cancer
In a small phase 1 trial of a herpes-based cancer therapy, one patient had their tumors completely eliminated.
B. David Zarley
boost hubble
Astronomy
SpaceX wants to save Hubble. NASA may be on board. 
NASA and SpaceX may use a Dragon spacecraft to boost the Hubble Space Telescope into a higher, life-saving orbit.
Kristin Houser
Startups
You could soon get a piece of $700 million Liquid Death
Canned water startup Liquid Death, now valued at $700 million, is considering going public in the next two years.
Kristin Houser
tesla robot
Robotics
Elon Musk demos humanoid robot, which will cost less than $20K
CEO Elon Musk unveiled two prototypes of the humanoid Tesla robot, expected to cost less than $20,000, at his company’s second annual AI Day.
Kristin Houser
treatment for ALS
Medicine
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.”
Kristin Houser
Brain
Shape-shifting DNA is helping researchers decode the human brain
Researcher Nako Nakatsuka has turned to DNA to tackle an important challenge: how do we measure chemicals in the brain?
B. David Zarley
memory prosthesis
Memory
Brain-zapping tech improves memory by more than 50%
A brain-zapping "memory prosthesis" funded by DARPA improved trial participants' ability to retain new information by more than 50%.
Kristin Houser
human composting
Sustainability
Human composting is now legal in five states 
California is now the fifth state to legalize human composting, a more environmentally friendly alternative to burial or cremation.
Kristin Houser
Business
From CDs to NFTs: Starbucks’ surprising history of embracing new tech 
Starbucks’ newly-announced blockchain platform is just the latest example of the chain’s early embracement of tech.
B. David Zarley