Image: Gordon Hempton walks through the forest

Health

10 minute lesson

Why We Need Quiet Places!

Quiet places in nature are disappearing. Meet the man who is saving silence to help us connect with nature and stay healthier!

View Touchstone
Image: Close-up photo of the face of a Black Soldier Fly with its tiger-striped compound eyes

Technology

6 minute lesson

Could Flies Change the Future of Farming?

Black soldier flies could change the future of farming by helping us create closed-loop systems for our food! Find out how!

View Touchstone
Image: Crowd of people at concert

Arts

13 minute lesson

How Music Reshapes Our Brains

Music is a human universal and has a deep impact on us. Here’s how music affects our brains and the ways it reshapes us at a fundamental level.

View Touchstone
Image: Assorted trash

Culture

3 minute lesson

Our Plastic Waste Problem: It’s Not About Perfection

Reducing our single-use plastics isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. Here are some simple ways you can get started or inspire your community!

View Touchstone
Image: Bill Gates drinks water from Omniprocessor

Engineering

3 minute lesson

Bill Gates Drinks Sewage: Introducing the Omniprocessor

What if your glass of water was raw sewage just 5 minutes ago! The Omniproccessor is turning waste into safe, clean drinking water for people in developing countries, here’s how!

View Touchstone
Image:Hands of bean and peas seller, Varanasi Benares India

Health

13 minute lesson

Chickpeas: Doing the Hum-Most!

Chickpeas may seem like a humble food, but how they came to be loved by people around the world, and how we grow them is a fascinating look at how the foods we love make it to our tables!

View Touchstone
Image: Lufefe Nomjana farming spinach

Culture

4 minute lesson

Solutions from the Spinach King

What if, more often, we saw problems in our communities and took matters into our own hands to fix them? Innovation happens when we see a problem, know the hardships involved in making it a reality, and press on anyway! For Lufefe Nomjana, the “Spinach King”, seeing a need in the community and innovating a solution has… Read more »

View Touchstone
Image: Nurse giving a woman a blood test

Engineering

3 minute lesson

Detecting Malaria with Magnets

Can low-tech solutions solve major medical problems? Find out how scientists are developing a technology that can detect malaria using magnets!

View Touchstone
image: a petri dish growing colorful bacteria

Science

5 minute lesson

The Beautiful World of Bacteria

What happens when you combine bacteria and art? This artist turned the bacteria of the New York subway system into beautiful works of art!

View Touchstone
Image: Drummer Jason Barnes with his robotic drumming hand

Technology

8 minute lesson

When Robotics and Music Collide!

Can robots really make music? The musician Jason Barnes would probably say yes, and then blow you away with his cyborg drumming hand. Here’s his story and how music and robots are colliding!

View Touchstone
Image: DNA double helix

Health

15 minute lesson

Not Your Average Museum Specimens

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is putting together a unique collection of museum specimens and you could be one of them!

View Touchstone
Image: The first user of this device, Ian, hitched up to the sensors and using the computer

Health

7 minute lesson

NeuroLife Is Rebuilding Brains!

Ian Burkhart and the folks at NeuroLife are reconnecting brain to body even after the debilitating effects of a spinal injury.

View Touchstone
Image: A colorful collage in a silhouette of a human head

Culture

5 minute lesson

The Autism Advantage Makes This Business a Success

By tapping into the often-unrecognized potential of people on the autism spectrum, Rising Tide car-wash is giving their employees a chance to shine!

View Touchstone
Image: Tilly Lockey at the SingularityU The Netherlands Summit in 2016 with her bionic arm

Technology

5 minute lesson

Making People Into Superheroes with an Amazing Arm!

Open Bionics is creating open source bionic arm technology! The Hero Arm changes lives, looks cool, and is available to anyone with a 3D printer!

View Touchstone

Science

5 minute lesson

Bacteria! It’s Everywhere! Here’s Why That’s Pretty Awesome…

Microbes are everywhere! The tiny creatures that live on and all around us are not necessarily a cause for concern, though–they can be beautiful and useful, too!

View Touchstone
Image: Close up of eye

Health

5 minute lesson

Exploring the Eight Senses

Most of us know that we have 5 senses… but do you know there are three others? Let’s discover your 8 senses!

View Touchstone