Life jackets are used to create jewelry, opportunity for refugees
Hordes of bright orange lifejackets are strewn across the rocky beaches of the Greek island of Lesbos. Discarded...
The future of micromobility in Africa
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, improvements to infrastructure shift focus from cars to micromobility. The city’s transportation plan calls for hundreds of kilometers of bike lanes and pedestrian pathways for increased safety.
A language goes extinct every two weeks. here’s a plan to save them.
Volunteers worldwide are documenting the world's rarest languages in a project called Wikitongues.
Paving the way with recycled roads
The world is facing a massive build up of waste. But this solution of recycled roads may pave the way for a cleaner future.
Merging nature and sustainable design: An interview with Daan Roosegaarde
From towers that create pockets of clean air to a luminescent bike path that glows like children's ceiling stars, Daan Roosegaarde's entire practice is centered around the beauty of living with nature and removing pollution from urban life.
Scientists grew a mini brain in a lab. It has human-like brain waves.
For the first time, a lab-grown mini brain has brain waves. Researchers can now launch new ways to study brain disorders. But the question of consciousness in the brain-like organoid could raise concern.
Uganda begins massive new Ebola vaccine study
The Ebola outbreak in the Congo is now the second deadliest on record. How can we stop the devastation? A study in Uganda could hold the key for a new vaccine.
Prosthetics as fashion: designers transform prosthetic leg covers into wearable art
Alleles is a premier boutique where amputees can be fitted for fashionable limb covers that make their prosthetic limbs stylish and eye-catching. These designers hope their fashions will help reduce the stigma that comes with prosthetics.
The world's first floating dairy farm
In the search for more sustainable methods of global food production, one couple in the Netherlands is taking an unconventional approach: they have become the operators of the world's first and only floating dairy farm.
Clean meat: A new protein is making its way onto the chef's table
Clean meat is becoming a more widely known, and much loved food category. But do you expect to see it on your gourmet plate any time soon? These chefs think yes.
The Crib: A place to call home
For young LGBTQ adults, this is the shelter that accepts many people that are too often turned away.
The first GMO salmon is coming to a store near you
After a 30-year struggle, Atlantic salmon modified with a growth hormone gene from Chinook salmon has been approved by the FDA. Its producers say it solves problems related to climate change, ocean pollution, and food scarcity. Skeptics call it playing god. Both call it the Frankenfish.
This woman is on a mission to turn beer into food
Jacquie Berglund is using the profits from her beer company to buy organic produce from local farmers and distribute the produce to food banks in the area.
Advanced prosthetics are not only powerful, they’re beautiful
"There's a deep, deep relationship between the functionality of the device and a person's identity of what their body is."
These pioneers are building the sustainable food systems of tomorrow
In a new Freethink original series, Michael O'Shea goes around the world to introduce us to the scientists who are working hard to ensure that we can feed our future world.
This musician transforms scientific data into elaborate melodies
When we convert complex data into sound and listen to it, quite often what emerges is something we can understand through sound, even though we could never understand it visually.
Hope grows for patients with spinal cord injuries
Severe spinal cord injuries resulting in total paralysis are usually considered permanent, with no hope of recovery. And yet, in a handful of patients spanning multiple levels of severity, movement is being regained.
Should we legalize gangs?
Gangs are a major cause of violence and organized crime. Here’s why countries should think twice before trying to...
Wearable robotic suits could be coming to a store near you
What can lift 500 pounds in each hand, walk for miles and miles with a heavy load, or leap over obstacles in a single bound? Humans - with the help of wearable robotics.
This Chicago urban farm grows opportunity, jobs
Growing Home’s organic urban farms use agriculture as a vehicle for providing job training for people with...
How the technology behind deepfakes can help us create a better world
Deepfakes have ignited fierce media criticism and call into question the public’s ability to discern fact from...
For the disabled, using virtual reality for education opens up new possibilities
His daughter couldn’t go on school field trips with her classmates, so Craig Chaytor designed a virtual reality...
Scientists sidestep restrictions on cannabis research by taking their lab mobile
This mobile lab, run by scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder, is one of several workarounds developed...
Is the future of therapy… virtual? A look into virtual reality therapy
The immersive world of VR may have therapeutic benefits for people combating phobias, anxiety, and PTSD.
In the US, rural hospitals are closing. Can medical drones fill this healthcare gap?
“Whether you live in the developed world or the developing world, the further you travel outside of a major city,...
Hip-hop fans are getting creative in the kitchen thanks to this rap inspired food competition
“T-bone steak, cheese eggs, and Welch’s grape.” Yo Stay Hungry competitions are simple: teams of contestants...
A dangerous job: Snake milkers risk their lives to save others
A very small number of very daring people are responsible for all of the world’s antivenom.
The final Maker Faire
The maker movement is grieving a big loss with the shutdown of Maker Media. Freethink's Alexandra Cardinale spoke...
The forgotten parent: How one father is making sure teen dads don’t go overlooked
As the founder of Fathers New Mexico, Barry McIntosh is on a mission to help young fathers understand how important...
Why did measles explode in 2019?
Humanity is locked in an arms race with diseases: we update our vaccines, and diseases evolve new ways to try to...
The future of healthcare could look a lot like the 1900s
For many cancer patients, being treated at home is just as safe, more affordable, and more convenient than being...
Macgyver medicine can save lives
The package is simple and dirt-cheap—a plastic bag with a condom, a syringe, a rubber tube, and a card with...
How this non-profit weaves a family of support for struggling teens in Baltimore
“Everyone - no matter their age, race, or background - needs a network of supportive relationships to help them...
Is autism a mysterious medical condition or part of the spectrum of human diversity?
Rethinking Autism: Interview with NeuroTribes Author Steve Silberman
How science is learning to admit mistakes
A shocking amount of scientific studies can’t be reproduced. Do we need to change the culture of science?
Sometimes it really does take a village
Building a new, community-based foster care system
A day in the life of a 'violence interruptor'
Freethink followed Andre T. Mitchell, the founder of Man Up!, and his violence interrupter team for a day in...
Should violence be treated as a disease?
Epidemiologist Dr. Gary Slutkin of Cure Violence says we need to treat violence as a disease and a public health...
Can cognitive behavioral therapy break the cycle of violence?
CBT is a promising way to reduce violence, so why has it been so hard to scale?
The ride home from prison
The "Ride Home Program" sends drivers to pick up former inmates on their first day of freedom to help ensure a...
A mother’s wish for her son’s killer
DeVitta Briscoe never had a chance to request a lighter sentence for the man who shot her son.
Rising stars in criminal justice reform
These key players are working from outside the system to lead the criminal justice reform movement.
Exclusive interview: how Miriam Krinsky is leading us to a smarter & more equitable justice system
Her organization is bringing together a new generation of prosecutors with a shared vision of fair, compassionate,...
Civilian oversight is a solution to police misconduct. But is it effective?
Creating a civilian review board to oversee police conduct seems like a straightforward solution to disciplinary...
Do we need more police or better police?
American cities are safer than they used to be, but they’re still quite violent, and many economists think they’re...
Community policing is back in vogue. But does it work?
As police departments look for ways to rebuild trust with their communities, an increasing number are turning to...
Why drugs are hurting more people than ever – and what to do about it
Is the solution to dangerous drugs... making them safer?
Science funding is wasting young careers. Here's how to fix it.
Basic science funding is a mess. Fixing it could radically improve the pace of innovation.
Hacking the brain's comms network – without surgery
When nerve cells in the brain communicate, they create tiny electric fields that can be sensed – and sometimes...
Prison education can break the "revolving door" of recidivism
Over 600,000 people will leave prison this year; here's how we can help them never return.
A tumor-killing virus could treat eye cancer and save children's sight
The only treatment for retinoblastoma is surgical removal of the eye—but scientists may have found another way:...
Tiny satellite “constellations” could bring the entire world online
SpaceX is out in front, but the race for global satellite internet is getting crowded.
The plan to wipe out mosquitoes using genetic engineering
The world's richest and poorest people are teaming up against humanity's deadliest predator.
The first private moonshot is ready to launch
The Israeli group's moon mission will be ride-sharing on a SpaceX rocket.
A "LinkedIn for cancer" helps myeloma patients find help – and hope
The site aims to help scientists discover new treatments – and empower patients to advocate for their own care.
Training the body to fight off drug-resistant bacteria
A new strategy, called host-targeted defense, could help solve antibiotic resistance by upgrading the immune system.
How NASA scientists learned to stick with super long-term goals
When the New Horizons spacecraft launched in 2006, Pluto was still a planet and the iPhone didn't exist.
Supercharging photosynthesis can grow 40% more food
We need a lot more calories to feed a growing world, and these scientists may have figured out how to get them.
Finding a new drug in one-third the time and one-thousandth the cost
How a pediatric cancer drug went from discovery to clinical trials in five years and just $500,000.
Living drugs may be the key to beating genetic disease
Engineering bacteria in the microbiome could fix previously untreatable genetic disorders.
What is cystic fibrosis—and what is it like?
What you need to know about this genetic disease, explained by someone who knows it inside and out.
How redesigning labs can demystify genetic science
"Scientists work in high-security buildings that are banned to the public and then wonder why they are misunderstood."
A hidden benefit of banned antimicrobial soap: Treating cystic fibrosis infections
The FDA banned triclosan from hand soap, but new research shows that it can supercharge old antibiotics.
Why we need a universal flu vaccine
Two scientists explain why the flu is still such a problem, a century after it killed 50 million people — and what...
Paige and the virus hunter
Drugs couldn’t stop her infection — so she asked Ben Chan to get her a virus, instead.
Air travel could be stopping the next plague
Our hyper-connected world might be protecting us against devastating plagues.
Neuroscience has a low-tech answer for a good night's sleep
Neuroscientists say that we may be ignoring a basic fact that could defuse the "screen-time wars" between parents...
Driverless cars go off-roading
Computer-game simulations can train self-driving cars to navigate in the real world.
"q" probably won't make you rich, but it's an experiment worth watching
It's not the next Bitcoin (or a path to riches), but it's an intriguing idea.
We're mapping 100 trillion human cells (and all of their genes)
The "Human BioMolecular Atlas" will map the active genes in over 200 types of cells and 80 different organ systems.
A skin graft cures cocaine cravings (in mice)
A CRISPR skin graft looks like a promising way to deliver gene therapy.
Personal genetics might solve the opioid crisis – and the pain crisis
Why does pain hurt more for some people? Why do others feel nothing at all?
AI will make you smarter
Artificial intelligence will multiply your own intelligence, in ways that will surprise you.
Why are unsolved murders on the rise?
The evidence suggests that most murderers get away with it. Here's what we can do about that.
To eradicate TB, we need old-fashioned ambition
The Ebola outbreak sparked more medical innovation in two years than TB has in decades, even though TB is killing...
What's the deal with the giant mosquitoes after hurricanes?
These suckers grow to be three times larger than other mosquitoes, but they may not be as bad as you think.
Meet the 380 trillion viruses inside your body
Scientists aren't exactly sure yet what the "virome" is up to, but it's probably important.
The first “telepathic” social network is used to play tetris
Researchers claim that BrainNet is “bringing us a step closer to a ‘social network of brains.’”
What we learned from a decade of commercial space travel
Businesses have gotten to space; now what?
A new kind of headset “hears” words you don’t say
The project, named AlterEgo, intentionally crosses the line between what's "out there" and what's in your head.
The 2018 Nobel Prize could mark a turning point in the war on cancer
More than one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime; new discoveries are helping them...
A new stem cell treatment can heal burns, bedsores, and diabetic ulcers
In addition to healing injuries, the approach could be useful for repairing skin damage, countering the effects of...
How to Start a Coffin Club
How the founders of the "coffin clubs" got started – and their advice for others.
Can DIY science (finally) cut the cost of insulin?
A century after its discovery, insulin is still incredibly expensive, but DIY bio-manufacturing could change that...
Why a third of antidepressants are prescribed for "off-label" problems
The "secret life of antidepressants" could open up a host of new treatments.
Zika could be a “smart missile” for brain cancer
Zika can devastate fetal brains; scientists want to turn it against brain tumors instead.
Brains store memories in a temporary "cache" (and we can read it)
Like the day’s newspaper, the brain has a temporary way to keep track of events.
How a video game helped the Cajun Navy save lives
When lives are on the line, inspiration can come from the most unlikely places.
GMO mosquitoes could be our best new weapon against disease
It sounds like science fiction, but it could save millions of lives.
FDA approves first mute button for genetic diseases
It is the first of "a wave of advances that have the potential to transform medicine."
Are "CRISPR kids" the new "test-tube babies"?
Forty years later, IVF shows how fears about new technology can fade.
New evidence suggests viruses may trigger Alzheimer’s
For the first time in a long time, there's a new direction for potential Alzheimer's treatments.
High tech archaeology found a new way to screen for vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency is an age-old problem, but new techniques from archaeology may be the key to catching it early.
What happens if scientists lose faith in their own research?
Half of scientists have failed to replicate their own work — but they rarely come forward. A new project wants to...
AI could replace chemical testing on animals
Scientists have developed software that could save one billion dollars (and two million animals) each year.
Paralyzed mice walk again after breakthrough treatment
One small step for a mouse, perhaps one giant leap for treating spinal injuries.
“Cybersecurity for plants” can stop germs from hacking our food supply
Computer hackers exploit flaws in code to access systems and take what they want; plant diseases work the same way.
Quieter, faster, stronger: The next jet age is coming
Air travel takes longer today than it did 40 years ago. That's about to change.
UV robots can sterilize an ICU in 10 minutes
UV light destroys bacterial DNA from the inside out, eradicating the toughest pathogens in minutes.