Innovation Hub

You can read a book from 100 years ago… but will your descendants be able to access a USB drive? A look at the world of digital memory.

This week, we're gifting you I-Hub a few days early. Just another thing to be thankful for. There are a lot of lessons one can learn from the election. But one of the most vital is how important place is; how where you live can shape your worldview and how your worldview can shape the place you live. This episode, we’re exploring the idea of place.

Helping refugees - and others - generally means giving them things like blankets, clothes, and food. Radha Rajkotia thinks we should try handing out cash. Plus, Jessica Tracy explains why one of the seven deadly sins could be a good thing, after all. And finally, advances in genetic engineering have allowed scientists to make decisions that could affect millions of people. Kevin Esvelt thinks the public should have a voice in those decisions.

Ezra Cornell was fired from his job due to after the Panic of 1837… then helped create our modern communication network.

Pride isn’t just for cheating athletes or bullies. Psychology professor Jessica Tracy explains why pride is a key emotion in human civilization.

Gene technology is becoming more and more powerful… and could affect more and more people. MIT researcher Kevin Esvelt tells us why he thinks the public needs to have a say in how we use it.

Do we know what refugees need better than they do? Radha Rajkotia of the International Rescue Committee tells us why giving cash, rather than food and other supplies, could be a better model for foreign aid to refugees.

Surprised by the election? Us too. Psychologist Mahzarin Banaji thinks our unconscious biases might explain the difference between the public’s expectations and the results.

How exactly was Donald Trump able to captivate us on his path to the White House? Columbia University Professor Tim Wu explains.

America's manufacturing industry has been hollowed out by globalization and automation. Donald Trump promises he can revive it. MIT researcher Andrew McAfee says that’s not possible.