TED Radio Hour

Our bodies are always sending signals ... but are we listening? This hour, TED speakers explore new ways to track and understand our health — from cutting-edge technology to simple, everyday habits.Guests include exercise physiologist Keith Diaz, genomicist Michael Snyder and writer Lizzie Braicks-Rinker.TED Radio Hour+ listeners now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and deeper conversations with Manoush. By signing up for Plus, you directly support our work and public media, so all your episodes (like this one!) come to you without sponsor breaks. Learn more at plus.npr.org/ted.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Whether you love fashion or hate it, we all have to get dressed in the morning, and the industry affects us in complex ways. This hour, the outrageous, environmental and seedy sides of fashion.Guests include designer Machine Dazzle, supply chain expert Aparna Mehta, journalist Amanda Mull and supermodel Cameron Russell.Original broadcast date: September 6, 2024TED Radio Hour+ listeners now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and deeper conversations with Manoush. By signing up for Plus, you directly support our work and public media, so all your episodes (like this one!) come to you without sponsor breaks. Learn more at plus.npr.org/ted.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

A big idea might spark a sci-fi story, but writer Charlie Jane Anders says it’s rarely the most important part. Anders has published seven novels and several short stories, earning some of science fiction’s highest honors, including Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards. In this bonus episode for TED Radio Hour+, she shares how imaginative premises can become deeply human stories. She also shares where she finds inspiration — and offers advice for aspiring writers. Anders was featured in the 2021 episode, "Through the Looking Glass" (https://n.pr/4vKdfru).  To get access to this and other bonus episodes, sign up for NPR+. NPR+ supports work like this at NPR and across public radio. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

For years, we’ve heard that social media is fueling a teen mental health crisis. But the evidence is more complicated. Developmental psychologist Candice Odgers unpacks what the research actually says—and where parents, policymakers, and the media often get it wrong.TED Radio Hour+ listeners now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and deeper conversations with Manoush. By signing up for Plus, you directly support our work and public media, so all your episodes (like this one!) come to you without sponsor breaks. Learn more at plus.npr.org/ted.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat — sports cliches are everywhere. But what does it actually take to think like a winner? This hour, TED speakers explore the psychology of winning and losing.Original broadcast date: July 19, 2024TED Radio Hour+ listeners now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and deeper conversations with Manoush. By signing up for Plus, you directly support our work and public media, so all your episodes (like this one!) come to you without sponsor breaks. Learn more at plus.npr.org/ted.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Sports betting isn’t just changing where people spend their money. Researcher Brendan Dwyer says it’s changing how they experience sports. In this bonus episode for TED Radio Hour+, Dwyer unpacks his research and what it reveals about fandom, gambling and the human desire for agency in an uncertain world. Dwyer was featured in the recent episode, "How predictions took over our lives" (https://n.pr/3Q5tEqV).  To get access to this and other bonus episodes, sign up for TED Radio Hour+, which helps support our work and public radio. Learn more at plus.npr.org/tedSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

From betting apps to AI models, prediction has become big business. This hour, why we're so drawn to certainty, and what happens when we mistake forecasts for facts. Guests include professor Brendan Dwyer, philosopher Carissa Véliz, and journalist Simone Stolzoff.TED Radio Hour+ listeners now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and deeper conversations with Manoush. By signing up for Plus, you directly support our work and public media, so all your episodes (like this one!) come to you without sponsor breaks. Learn more at plus.npr.org/ted.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

From robot helpers to smart body parts, the line between human and machine is blurring. This hour, TED speakers design tech that enhances us without diminishing our humanity. Guests include robot choreographer and computer scientist Catie Cuan, engineer and biophysicist Hugh Herr, material scientist Anna Maria Coclite and biochemist Jennifer Doudna.TED Radio Hour+ listeners now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and deeper conversations with Manoush. By signing up for Plus, you directly support our work and public media, so all your episodes (like this one!) come to you without sponsor breaks. Learn more at plus.npr.org/ted.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

For years, scientists thought there was a hard limit on brain growth: Once our brains fully develop in adulthood, we stop producing neurons. But over time, research proved that we can grow new brain cells through a process called neurogenesis. Neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret of King’s College London has dedicated her entire lab to revealing how it works. In this bonus episode for TED Radio Hour+, she walks us through some of her recent discoveries, including how chronic inflammation may alter neurogenesis and how changes in neurogenesis could be an early warning sign for diseases like Alzheimer’s. Thuret was first featured in our 2021 episode, “Life Stages of the Brain” (https://n.pr/4x3tErR).  To get access to this and other bonus episodes, sign up for TED Radio Hour+. You'll also be supporting public radio. Learn more at plus.npr.org/tedSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The debate about masculinity has reached a fever pitch. But Richard Reeves says we must move past the culture wars and look at the facts. This hour, a thoughtful approach to supporting boys and men.TED Radio Hour+ listeners now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and deeper conversations with Manoush. By signing up for Plus, you directly support our work and public media, so all your episodes (like this one!) come to you without sponsor breaks. Learn more at plus.npr.org/ted.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

From the farm, to the lab, to our tables, what we eat and how it's grown is changing. Agriculture contributes to global warming and is being transformed by it. This hour, a glimpse into the future of food.Guests include chef and policy advisor Sam Kass, farmers Jim Whitaker and Jessica Whitaker Allen, biotechnologist Isha Datar and artist Sam Van Aken.Original broadcast date: July 5, 2024.TED Radio Hour+ listeners now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and deeper conversations with Manoush. By signing up for Plus, you directly support our work and public media, so all your episodes (like this one!) come to you without sponsor breaks. Learn more at plus.npr.org/tedSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Sooner or later, we all contend with graying hair. But what causes strands of hair to lose pigment and, in some cases, regain it? Last week, Manoush Zomorodi spoke with Martin Picard, a mitochondrial psychobiologist who studies how our cells produce and use energy. According to Picard, our mitochondria play a surprising role in health and aging, including hair going gray. In this bonus episode, he explains why hair turns gray, what stress does to accelerate the process, and why some hairs regain their color. Martin Picard was featured in the recent episode, “How to feel alive in an exhausting world” (https://n.pr/4uoauLH).  To go deeper into the science, you can read Picard’s original 2021 article here: https://elifesciences.org/articles/67437  To get access to this and other bonus episodes, sign up for TED Radio Hour+. When you do, all your episodes also become sponsor-free. That’s because you are supporting our work and public radio. Learn more at plus.npr.org/tedSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy