Just Might Work

When you’re working on the edge of what’s possible, your ideas are bound to raise a few eyebrows. But sometimes the ideas that seem far-fetched are also the ones that change the world. In this series, we meet the people whose bold ideas might sound crazy...but also Just Might Work.

Get episodes in your inbox

Watch on YouTube

Share Just Might Work on Twitter (X)
Share Just Might Work on Facebook

Morocco has a doomsday seed vault. We stepped inside.

Deep in the drylands of Morocco, a hidden vault holds the seeds that could save humanity.

Go to Episode

All Episodes (25)

Now Playing

NASA’s mission to build the ultimate leak-proof lab

NASA is building a first-of-its-kind biocontainment lab to study samples from Mars — and possibly prevent a Martian plague.

Now Playing

3 ways to clone yourself before you die

These tech companies are making digital clones of people to live on in a digital afterlife. Would you do it?

Three men are sitting in front of a black background.

Now Playing

Inside Wisk: The flying taxi ending traffic

Over 1,300 test flights in, Wisk’s self-flying taxi will transform city commutes by 2028.

Now Playing

Men are finally getting birth control options

Big Pharma won’t invest in male birth control. Meet the scientists doing it themselves.

Now Playing

The sex workers taking on Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal

Big banks are blocking sex work payments. Is crypto the answer?

Now Playing

Waves have massive energy. They could power the planet.

Wave energy has incredible potential – and the Navy is racing to harness it.

Now Playing

Morocco has a doomsday seed vault. We stepped inside.

Deep in the drylands of Morocco, a hidden vault holds the seeds that could save humanity.

Now Playing

“Art exoskeleton” lets you feel opera

This Philadelphia theater puts robotic suits on guests before they watch Opera.

Now Playing

Inside the lab creating human eggs from scratch

“In a 50 year timeframe this could become the default way that people choose to have children.”

Now Playing

This implant can reverse paralysis. And that’s just the beginning.

His brain implant made headlines in 2016. Now, he’s fighting for everyone to afford one.

Now Playing

Cow burps are dangerous. Let’s hack them.

Cows belch a greenhouse gas called methane, which is 30x more potent than carbon dioxide.

Now Playing

Aliens may have a signature that a telescope can hear

We’re sending messages into space. Have they been received by aliens?

Now Playing

The scientists decoding the ancient mystery of fire

We still don’t understand the ancient mysteries of fire. How is that possible?

Now Playing

Meet the woman who can smell diseases like cancer and Parkinson’s

This woman can smell diseases — and she’s working with scientists to give you her superpower.

Now Playing

Inside the lab inventing “coffee” without beans to save the planet

Almost all of the last wild forests will have to be destroyed to support the growth of coffee.

Now Playing

The world’s first 100% accurate tornado detector

Can this recycled technology save the citizens of Tornado Alley?

Now Playing

Fast fashion is killing the planet. These chemists are fighting back

Your clothes are mostly plastic. These chemists have figured out how to recycle them.

Now Playing

The secret lab making the most sustainable food in the world

Now Playing

NYC’s nonprofit DIY internet is taking on Verizon & more

1.5 million New Yorkers lack access to high-speed internet. Can a DIY mesh internet network change that?

Now Playing

How robots could end animal captivity in zoos and marine parks

Could robotic dolphins help marine parks become more humane spaces where people can learn about and connect with nature?

Now Playing

Is DMT the best new treatment for depression?

Psychedelic therapy could bring the ancient healing powers of drugs like DMT into mental health clinics.

Now Playing

Biohackers take aim at big pharma’s stranglehold on insulin

These biohackers plan to give away their instructions for how to make insulin for free.

Now Playing

Can we hack sugar to be healthy?

Is there such a thing as healthy sugar? Food scientists in Israel are hacking the sugar molecule itself – eliminating the need for subpar alternatives.

Now Playing

The case for drinking treated wastewater. (Yes, from the toilet.)

Concern over droughts and water pollution have ignited a unique solution for preserving one of our most vital resources — advanced wastewater treatment for human consumption, also known as direct potable reuse.

Now Playing

Catching the most dangerous thing in space

More than 8,000 tons of space debris orbit Earth, endangering our astronauts and satellites. Can we clean up space before it’s too late?