TED Radio Hour : NPR: Recent Episodes
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Exploring the biggest questions of our time with the help of the world's greatest thinkers. Host Manoush Zomorodi inspires us to learn more about the world, our communities, and most importantly, ourselves.
As mines meet mineral demands for electric vehicles, they put communities and ecosystems at risk. Sustainability researcher Elsa Dominish says the EV industry cannot repeat fossil fuel's mistakes.
To solve the climate crisis, we need reliable satellites to track carbon emissions and changing weather patterns. Astrodynamicist Moriba Jah says space junk is putting these satellites in jeopardy.
Sims Witherspoon is a researcher using AI to fight climate change. She says AI can help solve the biggest problem with renewables like wind and solar: their unpredictable nature.
We now use AI in more and more areas of our lives. But with its high emissions, should we resist this new tech? AI researcher Sasha Luccioni is working for a greener, more transparent future for AI.
Journalist Melissa Dahl went on a mission, researching the nature of "cringe." She hoped to free herself from awkward moments. Instead, she learned from them.
Talking about sex can make many of us feel uncomfortable. Sex and relationship counselor Erin Chen shares her secret to normalizing "the talk."
Cartoonist Liana Finck has spent years learning the "rules" of social interactions. She's not convinced. Her comics poke fun at the contradictions and absurdities of daily life and modern parenting.
As a kid, Ty Tashiro was an awkward stats nerd. Now, as a social scientist, he explains why the characteristics that make people awkward can actually set them up for great things.
Anne Lamott has always been honest about the messiest parts of her life, from addiction to parenthood. Now, in her 20th book, she reflects on the beautiful—and complicated—realities of love.
Imagine everything you need—shops, parks, schools, and more—is within walking or biking distance of your home. Urban planner Jeff Speck is bringing a walkable lifestyle to cities across the U.S.
John Francis is walking the length of Africa. This journey is just the latest in a lifetime of walking across vast distances, all aimed at connecting to the earth and spreading kindness.
Human bodies thrive in motion. So what happens when we sit all day? And what's the secret to breaking this habit? Ideas on moving more with special guests from the Body Electric series.
Black women are dying from preventable, obesity-related diseases, more than any other group in the U.S. GirlTrek co-founder Vanessa Garrison is asking Black women to take one immediate step: to walk.
From a bat's shrill speech to a peacock's mating call, environmental researcher Karen Bakker studied the sounds of nature. She wrote extensively on how AI can help translate these conversations.
Anika Goss is a third generation Detroiter. She says her city's future depends on exchanging concrete for green space—and that transformation will lead to both economic gains and climate resilience.
(Image credit: Gilberto Tadday / TED )
Waste is built into our economy. Garry Cooper created a large-scale resource-sharing system to keep furniture, medical equipment and more out of landfills and into the hands of people who need them.
(Image credit: Ryan Lash / TED )
As Arctic ice melts, polar bears must leave their homes. Biologist and conservationist Alysa McCall shares lessons on how to plan for a future where climate change forces us all a little closer.
(Image credit: Courtesy of TED)
We think of evolution as a slow process playing out over millennia. But evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton says nature is rapidly changing to keep up with the world humanity has built.
(Image credit: Ryan Lash / TED )
Kids are their own people. And the data suggests parents' decisions don't have as much sway as we think. Psychologist Yuko Munakata says it's a good thing that there's no right way to parent.
Creating a company is hard. For CEO Andy Dunn, having bipolar made it an even more extreme experience. He says a psychotic break forced him to focus on mental hygiene and challenge startup culture.
If AI is smart enough to pass the bar exam, why does it struggle with simple common sense questions? Computer scientist Yejin Choi studies how to teach AI human reasoning, social norms, and values.
It's easier than ever to commit white-collar crime, says forensic accountant Kelly Richmond Pope. One way to curb it, she says, is to support and encourage whistleblowers.
For 185 years, science has assumed there was only one species of king cobra. Herpetologist Gowri Shankar shares his near-death experience that led to a groundbreaking discovery for the snake world.
The tapir, South America's largest land mammal, plays a key role in maintaining the biodiversity of forests and wetlands. Conservation biologist Patrícia Medici works to protect this elusive species.
Professor Saad Bhamla believes all science puzzles are important, even silly ones. His research into the glass-winged sharpshooter's "butt flicker" led to a discovery about the physics of insect pee.
Known now as the mother of paleontology, Mary Anning's work was largely overlooked. But her research helped paleontologist Dean R. Lomax make groundbreaking discoveries about the ichthyosaur.
After Sheena Meade bounced a check, she was arrested, and her record followed her for years. Now she's fighting to help millions get their arrest and conviction records cleared.
To stop pirate fishing, oil spills, and more, we need to monitor the ocean. Tony Long aims to do just that by creating a live map of all human activity on the seas.
Sixto Cancel experienced the failings of foster care firsthand. Now he advocates for its reform and the expansion of "kinship care" so that young people can have a say in who raises them.
When we look to the future, we assume we'll be the same person we are today. But journalist Shankar Vedantam says that's not always true—our goals and beliefs will likely change throughout our lives.
With today's insatiable wants, it's easy to forget that we borrow the earth from future generations. Philosopher Roman Krznaric warns against short-term thinking and shows us how to be good ancestors.
Journalist Bina Venkataraman says some disasters are due to a short-sighted view of the future and a shallow memory of the past. She urges us to be smarter citizens and better ancestors.
Why is it so hard to plan for the future? Psychologist Hal Hershfield found that our brains perceive our future self as a separate person — with less urgent wants and needs than our present self.
Twenty years ago, Gene Luen Yang taught high school and wrote comics on the side. Now, he's the author of American Born Chinese and other bestsellers. He says comic books belong in every classroom.
Bacteria coordinate attacks using their own chemical language. What if we could decode these messages and thwart their plans? Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi invented a tool to spy on bacterial chatter.
(Image credit: Daiki Miyanabe / TED)
Poachers can make a lot of money killing whales. But what if a living whale fetched a bigger price? Ralph Chami uses the language of dollars and cents to conserve nature and fight climate change.
(Image credit: Ryan Lash / TED )
Using spectral imaging, Gregory Heyworth can bring new life to old manuscripts. He is able to decipher texts that haven't been read in hundreds of years, and in the process, change history.
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Learning a new language can be daunting, especially if you don't think you have the skill for it. But polygot Lýdia Machová says the secret is in the process of learning itself.
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Economics jargon can be intimidating. That's why Jack Corbett decided to make educational TikTok videos that make economic concepts and financial literacy simple... and silly.
(Image credit: Jack Corbett)
Men dominate trade work. But Emily Pilloton-Lam says it's time to put the power (and power tools) into the hands of young women and gender-expansive youth.
(Image credit: Marla Aufmuth/Marla Aufmuth / TED )
Water bills in Detroit are twice the national average, and in 2014 thousands faced shutoffs because they couldn't afford to pay them. When programmer Tiffani Ashley Bell learned this, she took action.
(Image credit: Gilberto Tadday/Gilberto Tadday / TED )
When Kate Stone was gored by a stag in 2013, tabloids made the story about her transgender identity. So she set a goal: to change how the press writes about transgender people.
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Iranian artist Shirin Neshat is known for her images of women that pose probing questions about the female body within Islam and Iranian culture. This hour, she reflects on her life and work in exile.
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The artist JR pastes massive photographs on surfaces ranging from the Louvre to the courtyard floor of a supermax prison. JR explores how his monumental work inspires hope, change and connection.
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What if immortality was possible in virtual reality? Artur Sychov discusses how his platform, Somnium Space, enables users to create an avatar version of themselves that will "live" forever online.
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What happens when we embrace unpredictability instead of fearing it? Writer Tania Luna explores how engineering surprise in our daily lives can lead to a fuller, more joyful existence.
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Our bodies can do amazing things, even with the most mundane tasks. Choreographer Ryan Heffington encourages us to celebrate the ways the body can move and unlock our inner joy through dance.
(Image credit: Gilberto Tadday/Gilberto Tadday / TED )
When news anchor Lee Thomas was diagnosed with the skin disorder vitiligo, he felt like his career was over. He shares his story of finding self-acceptance and embracing his changing body.
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How do we learn to trust what our bodies tell us and express it to others? Aerialist Adie Delaney speaks on how communication, trust and safety in trapeze can provide valuable lessons on consent.
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Sometimes "simple" everyday tasks can feel impossible to accomplish. Therapist KC Davis shares ideas on a more compassionate, less self-critical approach to daily chores.
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What if you could control a device, not with your hand, but with your mind? Physician and entrepreneur Tom Oxley talks about the implantable brain-computer interface that can change the way we think.
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Temple Grandin's story changed the way the world understands autism. She speaks about the many ways people interpret the world, the different kinds of thinkers and how to support them all.
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Sometimes that nagging inner voice is your own worst enemy. Author and podcast host Dan Harris explains how loving-kindness meditation can quiet your inner critic and improve your relationships.
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It can be daunting to come up with an original idea. Poet Sarah Kay shares how the simple act of observing the world around us can open our minds to a universe of inspiration and creativity.
(Image credit: Bret Hartman/Bret Hartman / TED)
Landmines are scattered across many countries threatening to kill or harm unsuspecting civilians. Bart Weetjens founded an organization training rats to protect humans by sniffing out these landmines.
(Image credit: Marc Nolte / TED)
We are constantly surrounded by a vast jungle of tiny creatures we can't see. Self-described "microbe wrangler" Anne Madden explains the power these microscopic organisms have to help humans.
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Languages are complex and our words are powerful. Cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky discusses how even small variations in language may mean big distinctions in how we experience the world.
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Sometimes we learn lessons from unexpected sources. Former kindergarten teacher YeYoon Kim learned from her students how to be brave enough to ask for help.
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Family dynamics are shaped by identity, mental health and more. Andrew Solomon explores the lives of dozens of families — and challenges the concept of what an "ideal" family looks like.
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In 1989, CM Ralph created "Caper in the Castro", the first LGBTQ+ video game. Nearly lost when diskettes became obsolete, this piece of gaming and queer history found new life in the Internet Archive.
(Image credit: CM Ralph)
Humans are generating vast amounts of data each day— and we're running out of storage space. Molecular biologist Dina Zielinski discusses a solution that can pack tons of data into a tiny space: DNA.
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The internet is forever ... or is it? The average webpage is deleted or changed in just 100 days. To preserve all human knowledge — digital and analog — Brewster Kahle created the Internet Archive.
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LIDAR technology is an innovation in archeology and ecology that has uncovered lost civilizations. But archeologist Chris Fisher realized it could help track and study the effects of climate change.
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We often resolve to spend time with family. A.J. Jacobs may have found one solution: treat everyone like family. He says genealogy platforms have linked him to family trees with millions of cousins.
Traveling lets us take in the awe of new places. But author and travel writer Pico Iyer realized he could bring an adventurous spirit to familiar spaces and see local beauty that he had overlooked.
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When it comes to money, knowing better doesn't always help us save more. Wendy De La Rosa suggests changing and automating factors in your environment to take back control of your finances.
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How often have you resolved to stress less? But what does that mean? For journalist Catherine Price, she found the first step to making us happier, healthier, and more present is to ... have more fun.
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Dieting doesn't work. Despite that, many people feel immense pressure to starve themselves. Neuroscientist Sandra Aamodt argues for a better, healthier way to live with mindful eating.
(Image credit: James Duncan Davidson / TED)
Did you know working out is the single best thing you can do for your brain? Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki found regular exercise helps grow your brain, improve memory and help protect against dementia.
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The prospect of a neurological condition like Alzheimer's or ALS can be terrifying. But these illnesses affect us all. Neuroscientist and novelist Lisa Genova asks us to confront that reality head-on.
(Image credit: Bret Hartman / TED)
Journalist Alison Killing explains her investigation in Xinjiang, China, where the government has used facial recognition cameras to track Uyghurs and detain them in camps across the region.
(Image credit: Stacie McChesney / TED )
We rely on technology for so much. Researcher Mike Seymour wondered: could our interactions be improved if tech had a face? He discusses how humanizing tech might make it more friendly and engaging.
(Image credit: Jennifer Polixenni Brankin / TEDxSydney)
As facial recognition software becomes easier to acquire, businesses are using it to surveil and analyze customers. Bloomberg's Parmy Olson explains where and how the technology is being deployed.
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Yenny Seo remembers nearly every face — that's because she is a super recognizer. She describes what it's like to live with this extraordinary ability.
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Retirement is a time full of new possibilities — which can be exciting and intimidating. Retired educator Riley Moynes offers suggestions for how to find fulfillment in a new chapter of life.
We receive a lot of messages about how bad it is to grow old. Anti-ageism activist Ashton Applewhite says that while some of our fears may be valid, aging offers more opportunities than we think.
We often equate youth with success at work. Physicist and network scientist Albert-László Barabási put this belief to the test, and found that with persistence, we can be successful at any age.
For most of her life, writer Doree Shafrir felt like she was always falling behind her peers. She describes how she finally came around to accepting – even celebrating – life as a late bloomer.
Music curator Alexis Charpentier hunts for forgotten records around the world. He shares the story of rediscovering a Swiss band from the 80s — and how he helped give their music a second life.
Artist Katie Paterson is captivated by what humanity is leaving for future generations. So she created the Future Library, a collection of unread literature to be published a century from now.
Museums are full of artifacts left by "the first and the famous," says curator Ariana Curtis. Museums can better represent diverse stories, she argues, if they also include stories of everyday life.
With few exceptions, ancient humans painted the same 32 symbols in caves all over Europe. Paleoanthropologist Genevieve von Petzinger asks: What were they trying to say to each other — and to us?
Pangolins are shy, nocturnal creatures covered in scales. They're also the most trafficked animal in the world. Intelligence expert Sarah Stoner explains how her team disrupts wildlife trafficking.
As development expands into forested areas, local wildlife pushes back. Author Mary Roach shares what happens when human lives intersect with one devious wild neighbor: bears.
All dogs can be good dogs, but not all make good pets. Dog trainer and conservationist Megan Parker works with dogs that might end up in shelters and trains them in the art of high-skilled detection.
In 2013, detective Bradley Marr of Louisiana was investigating a murder. Forensic scientist Lauren Pharr Parks and detective Marr share how vultures helped crack the case.
Facebook profits from being frictionless, says Yaël Eisenstat. But without friction, misinformation can spread like wildfire. The solution, Yaël says, is to build more friction into social media.
Elan Gale knows a lot about romantic tension—he helps create it for today's most popular reality shows. He explores why we love watching drama on TV and shares advice for avoiding it in our own lives.
Decades ago, a civil war in Sierra Leone left thousands as amputees. Researcher and current Education Minister David Moinina Sengeh set out to help them with a more comfortable socket for prostheses.
Have you brushed your teeth today? Or gotten a shot recently? As tribologist Jennifer Vail explains, these mundane activities are among the many in our daily lives that are made possible by friction.
From hippie culture to the first personal computers, Stewart Brand has been key to some of the most groundbreaking movements of the last century. This hour, he reflects on his life and career.
In Marvel's "America," Gabby Rivera wrote a superhero who's queer, Latina, and punches portals across dimensions. She shares why it's empowering to write characters that mirror her identity.
Words like introvert and extrovert help us make sense of the world, but one label can't sum up a person. Susan Cain explores how we can embrace the nuances that give our lives meaning and beauty.
Hrishikesh Hirway always wanted to be a musician. When his dream didn't go as planned, he navigated complex feelings of success and failure — embracing opportunities that became unexpected gifts.
Getting pregnant as a track and field athlete was called the "kiss of death." After becoming pregnant, Olympian Allyson Felix fought to change that by reforming her former sponsor's maternity policy.
Fashion designer Gala Marija Vrbanic creates digital clothes that defy physics and outshine superheroes' wardrobes. Vrbanic says the future of AR and VR will change how we express our identities.
The technology powering many apps and services seems automatic. But anthropologist Mary L. Gray explains how there are millions of hidden workers behind the screen who are key to making it all work.
Artist Holly Herndon created an AI clone of her voice that can sing in any languages and in any tone. In her music, Holly shows how AI can enhance the power and artistry of the voice.
Dr. Scholl's foot powder, tin foil, dead rats—former CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez used them all to conceal agents and secret messages. She shares stories about getting creative undercover.
For decades, Rosanne Cash has soared through the ranks of music with her powerhouse poetic skills and wistful reflections on her past. This hour we explore Rosanne's life and legacy through her music.
Talking with kids about sex can be awkward - for children and parents. Comedian Julia Sweeney remembers having "The Talk" with her daughter, and how it went in some unexpected directions.
Insects experience the world very differently from humans--but they still have a lot to teach us. Behavioral ecologist Marlene Zuk explores what insects can teach us about sex and sexuality.
On a rooftop garden in the middle of Manhattan, honeybee colonies are flourishing. Biologist Noah-Wilson Rich explains how collecting data from honeybee hives can help ensure a healthy future for all.
Laying eggs may seem like a simple way to reproduce compared to human birth, but biologist Carin Bondar says bird moms are the micromanagers of the animal kingdom.
Are we alone in the universe? This hour, we travel the cosmos with TED science curator David Biello in search of extraterrestrial life, uncovering how it may look and how we'll know we've found it.