Freethink

Digital Detectives

Episode 20190613

Online Hackers Hunt Down Missing People

This search and rescue expert discovered that many missing people had nobody looking for them. Then he had an idea: what if hackers made a game out of finding missing people through the internet?

Innovation

Episode 20190612

The Edible Six Pack Ring That's Saving Marine Animals

18 billion pounds of plastic are dumped in the ocean every year. This microbrewery created biodegradable six pack rings to help stem the tide.

Clean Decisions

Episode 20190608

Hope After Prison

This former inmate is cleaning up his city and helping other ex-cons turn their lives around.

Thinking Differently

Episode 20190528

How to Change the World

Olivia Leland, founder and CEO of Co-Impact, on how we should approach solving the world’s most complex problems.

Culture of Change

Episode 20190525

Drone Racers Are A Thing and They’re Amazing

Blistering speed. Big money. 11-year-old world champions. Is drone racing the next big sport?

Making a Difference

Episode 20190515

Can People with Autism Help Create Next-Generation AI?

Daivergent is a new startup that hires people with autism to train artificial intelligence - and helps them start independent careers.

Fixing Justice

Episode 20190509

F*ck a False Arrest: How to Get out of Jail Free in NYC

Good Call NYC Fights Bad Policing With a Free Lawyer Hotline: 1-833-3-GOODCALL

Thinking Differently

Episode 20190506

The Joy of Being Wrong

Can practicing intellectual humility make us smarter and happier? Science says yes.

Innovation

Episode 20190503

Giving Animals New Legs

Derrick Campana is a prosthetics engineer helping animals walk again with artificial limbs.

Inspiring

Episode 20190502

These Hero Pups Are Helping Veterans and Prisoners Heal

Hero Pups is an organization providing support dogs for military veterans and first responders. Now, prison inmates are helping train them - with great results.

Catalysts

Episode 20190501

Could This Be the Future of Foster Care?

Take a look inside a town built for foster families

Innovation

Episode 20190429

A Quiet Revolution in Trucking

She’s a veteran, a single mom, and a trucker, who used to have to wait around for hours for her cargo. Now, a revolutionary solution from SAP and Uber Freight is getting her back on the road and home to her son sooner.

Innovation

Episode 20190426

Who Will Save Your Parent’s Life Story?

When her dad had Alzheimer’s, this journalist wrote his life story to help his caregivers understand him. Now, she’d doing the same for hundreds more.

Inspiring

Episode 20190424

Veterans to the Rescue

On the worst day of their lives, these veterans came to help.

#fixingjustice - Re-entry

Episode 20190418

24 Years For a Crime He Didn’t Commit

When a prisoner serving a life sentence is suddenly found to be innocent, it often makes national news. But what happens after the cameras go away?

#fixingjustice - Re-entry

Episode 20190418

This Former Wall Street Felon is Helping Ex-Cons Find Jobs

Doing prison time changed this Wall Street trader’s life. Now he’s helping others get jobs after prison - and stay out for good.

#fixingjustice - Prosecution

Episode 20190416

Can a New Breed of Prosecutor Reform Our Broken System?

Prosecutors are afforded a wide array of discretion within the criminal justice system and wielding that discretion appropriately could mean ending America’s mass incarceration problem.

#fixingjustice - Policing

Episode 20190415

How to Hold Police Accountable

The Invisible Institute is making Chicago police complaints easily available to the public—and is helping hold police accountable.

#fixingjustice - Policing

Episode 20190415

Why the 6th Most Dangerous City is Turning to Community Policing

Police departments around the country are increasingly looking at community policing programs as a tool to help reestablish trust in the communities they serve.

Criminal Justice Week

Trailer

Freethink's 2019 Criminal Justice Week

Join us as we go inside the criminal justice reform movement for an up close look at the people trying to fix our broken system.

Sponsored

Episode 20190411

How To Teach Kids to Read in as Little as 50 Days

1 in 10 people in the world today are illiterate. This program teaches people to read in as little as 50 days.

Entrepreneurship

Episode 20190403

How San Francisco Residents Saved Local Businesses

An indie book store went from struggling to thriving with a new business model. Is it the future of retail?

Catalysts

Episode 2

A Game-Changer for Chronic Homelessness

He turned a food truck for the homeless into a thriving 51-acre community.

Education

Episode 20190325

This Fearless Principal Used UFC & Skateboards to Save a Failing School

How one relentless, unconventional principal rallied an underdog school.

Catalysts

Episode 1

Can the Apartment Industry Help Solve Homelessness?

Meet the innovative group connecting people with housing — and a job that can pay for it.

Episode 20190315

Breaking Abuse Victims’ Financial Handcuffs

This amazing organization is doing whatever it takes to help domestic violence victims survive on their own.

Episode 20190309

How a Smartphone Can Detect a Deadly Disease, without a Lab, for Free

This app tests for anemia, and it's nearly as good as the gold-standard lab test.

Episode 20190222

An App to Help Prevent Suicide

Meet the teens who built the notOK App: a "panic button" for people who need help.

Catalysts

Trailer

Introducing Catalysts

It’s time to change how we make change. Join us as we meet inspiring social entrepreneurs who are exploring bold new solutions to big social problems.

Episode 20190215

The Badass Army Fighting Revenge Porn

They’re tracking down people who post revenge porn - and getting justice.

Episode 20190213

What We Get Wrong About Love

Why are we so bad at love?

Episode 20190208

Funding Health Care with Coffee

What if your daily coffee helped save a life?

Technology

Episode 20190125

The Paralyzed Racer Going Faster than Ever

This daredevil wouldn't let anything slow him down—not even a devastating bike accident.

Technology

Episode 20190115

The "Search Angel" Volunteers Reunite Birth Families

For some, not knowing their biological family can feel like a part of them is missing. The Search Squad is helping them for free.

Entrepreneurship

Episode 20190104

Helping People with Disabilities Become Working Artists

Only 20% of people with disabilities participate in the workforce; Art Enables helps those with special needs turn art into a career.

Innovation

Episode 20181229

An Address for Everywhere on Earth

Can three simple words change how we find each other?

Prison Reform

Episode 20181221

Helping Moms in Prison Read to Their Kids

Meet the people helping incarcerated mothers read to their kids.

Sponsored

Episode 20181221

Why Cancer Patients Should Get Genetic Sequencing

Genomic sequencing saved his live. Now he wants everyone to have access.

Science

Episode 20181214

Making Tumors Glow to Improve Cancer Surgery

This surgeon is improving surgery by lighting up cancer cells.

Episode 20181207

The Student Laboratory Reinventing Food To Stop Waste

Inside the food laboratory inventing new foods to prevent waste.

Episode 20181128

Helping Prisoners Overcome Trauma with Dance

Women in prison are regaining a sense of freedom — through dance.

Science

Episode 20181127

Fighting Superbugs with Viruses

This Yale scientist's experimental treatment is a Texas woman's last resort.

Episode 20181121

Grandkids on Demand

A new service provides “grandkids on demand.”

Episode 20181120

3 Ways To Think About the Future

Why don’t we have a moon base? A cartoonist and a scientist explain.

Science

Episode 20181113

Growing Food with Seawater

This designer invented a greenhouse that lets you grow food with seawater.

Sponsored

Episode 20181107

Saving Lives with AI

Artificial intelligence can find hidden patterns in patient’s vital signs - and stop emergencies before they happen.

Sponsored

Episode 20181105

This Restaurant Gives At-Risk Youth a Second Chance

Cafe Momentum offers an alternative to the revolving doors at Texas jails.

Episode 20181031

Teaching Engineering with Dirt Bikes

This teacher is using dirt bikes to help Baltimore's kids learn STEM.

Episode 20181030

Steven Pinker Makes the Case for Optimism

Are things really worse than ever, or are we missing the bigger picture?

Science

Episode 20181022

Meet the Amateur Astronomer Who Found a Lost NASA Satellite

A $130 million satellite vanished. Over a decade later, a blogger/astronomer found it.

Trailer

The Dad Changing How We Investigate Police Shootings

After his son was killed by police, Michael Bell fought for over a decade to change how we investigate police shootings.

Sponsored

Trailer

How Veterans Help Each Other Heal Through Therapy

Headstrong believes that trauma is treatable.

Sponsored

Episode 20181009

Bringing Virtual Reality to Brain Surgery

Virtual reality is helping surgeons and patients prepare for complicated, life-saving surgeries in ways never before possible.

Sponsored

Episode 20180917

The Future of Cancer Research

Intel's Bryce Olson used genomic sequencing to help fight his cancer. Now he’s helping researchers use artificial intelligence to discover entirely new cancer treatments.

Sponsored

Episode 20180917

How The Phoenix Is Fighting Addiction with Fitness

Meet the group that is helping thousands of people transform their lives and unlock their potential.

Trailer

Episode 20180906

Introducing Freethink

We’re reimagining media for a generation that’s changing the world.

Sponsored

Episode 20180828

Can Science Make People Live Healthier for Longer?

An MIT researcher has turned 30 years of aging research into something you can use right now.

Sponsored

Episode 20180820

Rebuilding Coal Country

Meet the nonprofit bringing jobs back to coal country.

Episode 20180816

Inside the Cajun Navy: How Volunteers Are Training to Rescue Hurricane Victims

Can civilian-led rescue be part of future disaster recovery efforts?

Sponsored

Episode 20180814

Helping Kids Through Rowing

Inside the surprising program helping disadvantaged kids in New York thrive.

Sponsored

Episode 20180731

Meet Civil, The Startup That Wants to Save Journalism with the Blockchain

Can the blockchain fight fake news, restore trust in the media, and save a dying a industry?

Episode 20180710

Coffin-Building Club Helps Seniors Face Death and Enjoy Life

These seniors are tackling the stigma around death by decorating their own coffins.

Science

Episode 20180704

Using Neuroscience to Talk to People in a Vegetative State

A scientist figures out how to talk to the brain when the body won't respond.

Superhuman

Episode 10

Reprogramming Your Immune System to Fight Cancer

Your T cells already know how to kill cancer. These doctors can train them to hunt it down.

Superhuman

Episode 9

Using Virtual Reality to Help Kids with Autism

A virtual world offers a new way to engage with kids on the spectrum.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

Sponsored

Episode 20180417

For People in Prison, a Second Chance to Give Back

50% of people released from prison return within three years. This program is changing that.

Innovation

Trailer

Why Prisons are Showing Nature Videos to Inmates

Watching nature videos in the unlikeliest of places

Technology

Episode 20180307

Is This the End of Language Barriers?

What if you could travel anywhere in the world and there was no language barrier?

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 20180219

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

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 20180117

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

Technology

Episode 20180116

Why Researchers Built a Robot Snake

Believe it or not, there's a good reason this robot snake exists

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 20180109

The Robot Duck Helping Kids With Cancer

On the Fringe

Episode 4

Growing Human Organs in Pigs

On the Fringe

Episode 3

Can Snot Help Stop the Flu?

Technology

Episode 20171222

How Drones are Changing Disaster Relief

As Hurricane Florence hits, here's a look at how drones are changing disaster relief.

On the Fringe

Episode 2

A Stranger's Poop Could Save Your Life

On the Fringe

Episode 1

Searching for Cures in a Sewer

Wrong

Episode 5

Will Robots Take Our Jobs?

Wrong

Episode 4

What Happened to the Beepocalypse?

Wrong

Episode 3

Is Vitamin C a Total Sham

Wrong

Episode 2

Did Rats Start the Drug War?

The Big Idea

Episode 20171113

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?

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 20171024

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?

Technology

Episode 20171011

eSight Lets the Legally Blind See

This legally blind man is seeing his wedding for the first time. 15 years after he got married.

Coded

Episode 1

The Lawyer Who Defends Anonymous

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.

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.

Entrepreneurship

Episode 20170814

The Business Fair for Children

At this business fair, kids are the entrepreneurs...

Prison Reform

Episode 20170731

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 20170721

The Real Mother of Dragons

Meet the scientists using dragon blood to fight superbugs

Technology

Episode 20170711

The Shipping Containers Used for Conversations

Would you talk to a stranger on the other side of the world?

Technology

Episode 20170710

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

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

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

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.

Superhuman

Episode 20170512

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

Technology

Episode 20170502

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

Episode 20170422

Skatepunks of Myanmar

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

Rise

Episode 20170413

The Hidden Side of "Slum" Life

Episode 20170412

Teaser of The Hidden Side of “Slum” Life

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

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

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

Episode 5

Disrupting Money

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

Coded

Episode 20170209

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

Episode 4

Hacking the Future

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

Coded

Episode 3

The People’s NSA

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

Coded

Episode 2

The Unhackable Email Service

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

Coded

Trailer

Coded Trailer

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

Challengers

Episode 5

How VR Could Change Your Life

Virtual reality could alter the human experience forever.

Challengers

Episode 4

Building a Better School System

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

Challengers

Episode 20161213

Leslie Dewan on Learning from Failure

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.

Challengers

Episode 2

Can AI Solve Our Biggest Problems?

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

Challengers

Episode 1

An App for Global Trade

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

Challengers

Trailer

Challengers Trailer

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Change Agents

Episode 20160928

Could Ugly Produce Change the World?

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

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. »

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.

Superhuman

Episode 4

A Life Changed by Robotic Legs

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

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.

Superhuman

Episode 20160823

Conor Russomanno on Exploring Our Limits

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

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 20160820

Karen Aiach on Doing the Impossible

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.