Innovation Hub

WGBH•blogs.wgbh.org

Innovation Hub looks at how to reinvent our world – from medicine to education, relationships to time management. Great thinkers and great ideas, designed to make your life better.

Last refreshed: July 7th, 2025 at 6:18 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Permanently Displaced: Rethinking Refugee Cities

Kilian Kleinschmidt thinks we need to wake up to the world's refugee crisis. And it starts by reimagining where they live.

Dec 15, 2016•12 min

The Return of the Urban

Back in the mid-20th century, wealthy people fled big cities in droves for a quiet life in the suburbs. Now they're coming back. Alan Ehrenhalt, author of The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City, tells us why, and how it's going to change.

Dec 15, 2016•16 min

Self Driving Cars and the Future of Cities

Self-driving cars are going to be a thing. Soon. But how are they going to reshape cities?

Dec 15, 2016•17 min

How ATMs Spread Money and Microbes

There's an invisible world that’s right at your fingertips. Literally. Trillions and trillions of tiny microbes live alongside us in our cities and we don't even see them. A team of scientists recently swiped a whole bunch of ATM keypads in New York, looking for evidence of our minuscule neighbors.

Dec 15, 2016•5 min

Full Show: A Wiser, Better You

First, If you want to learn how to roast the perfect chicken, you’ve come to the right place. Mark Bittman talks about cooking - and eating - without fear. Then, Your dream job doesn’t always turn out to be your dream job. Millennial’s Megan Tan explains how she turned her part-time passion into her full-time career. Finally, Having trouble learning something? Take a break. Barbara Oakley dives into how we actually learn.

Dec 09, 2016•49 min

Making Millennial

Megan Tan’s portfolio project accidentally became a certified hit. Here’s how she created Millennial.

Dec 08, 2016•12 min

Math? It's All Russian To Me

Want to be a scientist, but never made it past high school algebra? Barbara Oakley talks with us about why there may still be hope for you - and why you might even have a leg up.

Dec 08, 2016•19 min

Historic Innovation: Muy Picante

Here’s the story of a culinary experience you’ve almost certainly had - with a backstory you may not know as well.

Dec 08, 2016•4 min

Food For Thought: A Conversation With Mark Bittman

Want to know anything and everything about cooking? There’s one person you should turn to. Mark Bittman.

Dec 08, 2016•16 min

The Changing Science of Memory

How well do you remember your past? Dr. Julia Shaw explains why your memory isn't nearly as good as you think it is.

Dec 01, 2016•17 min

The New World Of Digital Memory

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.

Dec 01, 2016•9 min

Innovation: It Tastes Like Chicken

Less than a century ago, chicken was as expensive as lobster. Now, Americans eat. 6 million pounds of chicken every hour of every day. Emelyn Rude tells us how thinking about the chicken as a piece of technology can help explain this change.

Dec 01, 2016•16 min

Of Mice And Medicine

Why do we use mice for medical research? As I-Hub's Caroline Lester found out, it all started with fancy mice.

Dec 01, 2016•8 min

Full Show: Place Matters

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.

Nov 22, 2016•51 min

Full Show: Imperfections

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.

Nov 18, 2016•50 min

Historic Innovation: Raising Wires

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

Nov 17, 2016•3 min

We Are Proud Of This Segment About Pride

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

Nov 17, 2016•19 min

Why Cash Could Be The Future Of Foreign Aid

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.

Nov 17, 2016•12 min

How To Engineer Thoughtful Science

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.

Nov 17, 2016•17 min

Want To Know Why Trump Won? Pay Attention.

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

Nov 11, 2016•15 min

The Myth of Manufacturing's Return

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.

Nov 11, 2016•17 min

Full Show: What Happened In This Election? Trump, our Fears, and the Future

Trump promised to bring back jobs from China and Mexico. But, according to MIT researcher Andrew McAfee, not only are those jobs not coming back - they don’t even exist anymore. No matter who you voted for, you were probably surprised by Trump’s triumph. Psychology professor Mahzarin Banaji thinks implicit bias might help us understand the difference between the polls and the actual results. A former reality TV star will be the 45th president of the United States. Columbia Law School’s Tim Wu ex...

Nov 11, 2016•50 min

Hidden Biases: How Our Unconscious (Might Have) Shaped the Election

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.