TED Radio Hour

Sandeep Jauhar, a cardiologist and author who studies how extreme emotions affect the heart. Jeannie Suk Gersen, a law professor and mediator focused on family and divorce-conscious conversations. Weiwen Sato, a pediatric critical care nurse who copes with ICU grief and burnout. Knut Ivar Bjørlykhaug, a social worker and climate advocate confronting ecological sorrow. They discuss broken heart physiology, relationship planning, processing professional grief, and climate grief.

Eric Topol, a cardiologist and longevity researcher, explains why genes are only part of the story. He covers lifestyle and prevention, the surprising limits of genetics, how vaccines and the immune system matter, and AI’s promise and pitfalls in early detection. He also calls out trendy fixes and urges evidence-based approaches.

Chris Fisher, archaeologist who maps landscapes with airborne LiDAR. Dina Zielinski, molecular biologist exploring DNA as ultra-dense data storage. Brewster Kahle, digital librarian who built the Wayback Machine to archive the web. They discuss how LIDAR creates lasting records of sites. They explain DNA as a durable medium for critical archives. They tackle web ephemerality and large-scale digital preservation.

Meghan Sullivan, Notre Dame philosophy professor who studies ethics and the good life. She explores how ancient thinkers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle help us handle upheaval, love, work and AI. Short, provocative thought experiments and a ten-question course probe vulnerability, religion, virtue and whether AI can meet human needs.

Michele Gelfand, a cross-cultural psychologist who studies tight and loose norms. Deb Chachra, an engineering professor focused on resilient infrastructure. Sarah Lake, a food-systems leader shifting diets toward plant-rich options. They explore how culture, infrastructure, and marketing invisibly steer what we eat, how we move and where power and resilience succeed or fail. Short, vivid takes on design and social forces.

Tom Gruber, AI researcher and Siri co-creator who champions humanistic, safety-first AI. Priya Lakhani, education entrepreneur using AI to personalize learning and support teachers. Vlad Tenev, Robinhood CEO with a historical take on tech and jobs. They discuss augmenting humans with AI, ethical frameworks and safety, AI in classrooms that promotes real learning, and how work may transform rather than vanish.

Ethan Kross, psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of Michigan who studies emotion regulation and self-control. He compares emotions to instruments we can learn to play. Topics include how intense feelings derail decisions, distanced self-talk using your own name, sensory shifts like music and awe, when venting backfires, and assembling an emotional advisory board.

Francesca Hoagie, a relationship coach who teaches flirting as a skill, John Wixted, a memory researcher who studies eyewitness reliability, and Alex Rosenthal, TED editorial director who speaks about aphantasia. They explore how mental imagery varies, why confident memories can be wrong, and how small social cues shape connection. Short, surprising takes on perception, memory, and everyday chemistry.

Pico Iyer, travel writer and essayist known for meditations on culture and silence, tells how a TED talk about ping pong led to an unlikely acting turn in Marty Supreme. He recounts the communal spirit of doubles play, cultural contrasts around ambition and winning, and the improvised, surprising moments of being on set. Short, reflective, and delightfully unexpected.

Laurel Braitman, author who explores grief and emotional coexistence. Avi Loeb, Harvard astrophysicist hunting answers about interstellar visitors. Philip Johns, biologist who studies urban otters and people-wildlife ties. They discuss city otters and human-wildlife design. They debate the nature of Oumuamua and searching for extraterrestrial artifacts. They explore holding joy and sorrow at once.