Innovation Hub

Marc Edwards was one of the first scientists to confirm lead poisoning in Flint. But it’s the second time he found himself battling the EPA. He tells us why our country’s lead crisis will only get worse.

North Korea invented its own time zone. Arizona and Hawaii refuse to participate in daylight savings. Steve Hanke thinks it’s time to overhaul, well, time.

What if the spread of violence was treated like the spread of a disease? University of Illinois at Chicago’s Gary Slutkin tells us why we need to take a public health approach to preventing violence in America.

One man’s life turns around because, of all things, nougat. We recount the surprising rise of a giant in the world of candy.

Chocolate’s melting point makes it one of the most fickle sweets in the world. It also prevents manufacturers from transporting it to large swaths of the globe. But the discovery of one of its most important genes could make a big difference.

Violence is usually seen as some sort of moral failing. Gary Slutkin says we should instead treat it like a disease. As anyone who’s left a Hershey’s bar too long in their pocket can tell you… chocolate melts pretty easily. A scientist has uncovered the gene that could change that. The shape and form of the book hasn’t changed all that much since the Middle Ages. But it has definitely changed us.

From illuminated manuscripts to your dog-eared copy of The Hobbit, the book has had a tremendously important place in human history. Keith Houston talks about how books changed the world.

This just in: reading just might help you live longer. Bookworms everywhere celebrate by going to the library.

Winter can be the hardest time of the year to stay in shape. But now that the holidays have passed, many Americans are looking to lose a few pounds in preparation for beach weather. It's a perfect time to focus in on our country’s growing obesity problem -- what’s caused it and what we can do about it.

Spin may have been a part of American life since the beginning, but PR began in the early 20th century.

What would the internet look like if you owned a piece of it? Nathan Schneider thinks it's time for some of the biggest internet players to get cut down to size.

Once upon a time, women didn't smoke cigarettes. Until a PR maestro linked smoking with both femininity and female empowerment. Then, brain scans of a person high on cocaine and of a person expecting a cash windfall look almost identical. Kabir Sehgal tells us why we love money SO much. And finally, Nathan Schneider explains how we can own the web.

We get high from making money. Literally. Former Wall Street executive and author Kabir Sehgal explains our obsession with cash and coin.

How’s Silicon Valley reacting to Trump’s immigration ban? We talk with Bilal Zuberi to find out.

American workers are becoming less mobile. Abigail Wozniak explains what that can tell us about our economy.

Where else have we seen an immigration ban like Trump's? Walter Isaacson walks us through the history of immigration and innovation.

First, Walter Isaacson walks us through the historical links between innovation and immigration. Then, how’s Silicon Valley taking Trump’s immigration orders? And finally, Americans are moving less because new jobs aren’t worth it. Abigail Wozniak explains the declining dynamism of the job market.

Some of America’s best scientists (think Einstein and Tesla) immigrated here from other countries. We talk with a few economists who’ve calculated their impact on American innovation.

Money and politics go together like Thelma and Louise. But that relationship has started to spin out of control. Plus, Tim Wu explains how advertising has infiltrated our lives. And finally, we talk with psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic about how incompetent managers always seem to find their way to the top, and why that's bad for women.

Buy this! Drink that! Does it ever feel like advertisements are becoming more and more omnipresent? Author Tim Wu explains.