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Or is psychedelic therapy too good to be true?

Psychedelics have the potential to treat a wide array of mental health disorders, but novel compounds have a tendency to escape the lab and harm users looking for a novel high.

What if nuclear power plants couldn’t melt down?

Small-scale nuclear reactors could help wean us off fossil fuels, but first they need to overcome the public fear shaped by nuclear accidents.

Emergency medicine for the climate?

Cloud brightening could help mitigate the greenhouse effect and slow down climate change. But tinkering with chaotic systems presents its own dangers.

Would you trade a failing kidney for a bionic one?

The world’s first “bionic” kidney blends biology and robotics, and could prevent a life sentence on dialysis. But will it ever be available?

What happens when we unplug?

Our mobile digital devices are entwined with our sense of normalcy. We explore what happens when we really, truly step away from our phones.

How to improve the standardized test?

The classic college admissions test is one-size-fits-all – and ends up failing both students and colleges. Can we do better with an interactive test that feels more like a video game?

Can real trauma be treated with virtual reality?

Veterans suffering from PTSD may be able to find some relief with VR – but do the benefits of VR therapy outweigh the risks of misuse?

Can we reverse aging, or avoid Alzheimer’s, with transfusions?

Evidence suggests we might be able to extend our healthy lives and fight off aging with transfusions of blood from younger people. Let’s discuss.

Can robots provide a human touch for elderly people?

Life in a retirement home can be lonely. Until you meet the robot caregiver, who roams the halls checking in with elderly residents. The question: Is eldercare something we want (or trust) a robot to do?

Can we track Covid-19 without tracking people?

Contact tracing is one of the best weapons we have to contain a pandemic. But can it defeat the disease without spying on people who might carry it?

Can you trust what you see?

Deepfake videos use AI to generate hyper-realistic clips of people saying things they didn’t say or doing things they’d never do. How can we prevent our reality from being swayed by this weapon of mass deception?

New season begins October 14

In Season 2: Robot caregivers, video games that replace the SAT; VR to heal trauma; and much more!

The utopia and the dystopia.

A question that will determine the future of our lives online … and off.

What if you could live to 200?

Postponing death: The technology that prompts us to ask some of the biggest questions of all.

A future where animal products come from cell cultures.

A nonprofit is working toward a post-animal bioeconomy. But does meat grown in a lab really take animals out of the picture?

A new tech can change your voice – to anything you want.

Modulate could help people use a voice that represents who they truly are – but what’s real if you can’t trust what you hear?

What would you do to end a disease?

With new tech, you can change the DNA of an entire species – but can anyone ever fully understand the risks?

What is the inventor’s responsibility?

3DR and DIY Drones want to share open-source drone technology with everyone – but troubling use cases have emerged.

What if you could travel faster than the speed of sound?

This supersonic plane could be the biggest disruption to air travel since the Jet Age. But progress always has a price.

What if your computer could read your face?

Affectiva is an AI tool that can detect universal emotions. It could make tech more “human” – but could it also invade our inner lives?

What happens when we remove the human therapist from therapy?

Woebot uses AI to guide users through a therapy session anytime, anywhere. It could increase access to mental health and reduce the stigma – no human therapist required.

If you could learn as fast as a kid again, would you?

The Halo headset stimulates your brain as you learn. Right now its use is limited to physical learning (athletes and musicians use it), but someday it could help anyone master anything. Would that be fair?