We often view paradise as a place of safety, beauty, tranquility. It's an ideal we long for, but one we can rarely find. This hour, TED speakers search for utopia and come to terms with reality. Guests include wildfire expert George Whitesides, author Pico Iyer, physicist Ramón Méndez Galain, and tech entrepreneur Ramona Pierson. We also hear from two residents of Paradise, California, Richard and Zetta Gore. Original broadcast date: November 10, 2023TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Writing can help you process thoughts, preserve memories, chronicle the stories of you and your loved ones. But that's only if you can get past the blank page. In this bonus episode, best-selling memoirist Kelly Corrigan offers advice for putting pen to paper. Corrigan has written four New York Times-bestselling books about her life and family in the last decade, including Tell Me More and The Middle Place. She was featured in the episode, "A guide to being brave in relationships." To get access to more bonus episodes like this one, sign up for TED Radio Hour+. When you do, all your episodes also become sponsor-free. That's because you are directly supporting our work at NPR. Learn more at plus.npr.org/ted Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

To understand AI, you need to hear Mustafa Suleyman's story. From youth hotline founder to DeepMind creator and Microsoft AI chief, his journey explains AI's evolution and his plans for its future.TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/ted.Correction: This story incorrectly states that DeepMind was one of the first AI companies. DeepMind was not one of the first AI companies, it was one of the first AGI—artificial general intelligence—companies.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A new year is a fresh opportunity to take control of our time, but a lot of hacks don't actually help us prioritize and focus. In this special bonus episode, time management expert Laura Vanderkam shares her best strategies for making decisions with more intention—so you have time for the things that truly matter. Laura Vanderkam was featured in the episode "Flip the Script." To get access to more bonus episodes like this one and hear the show sponsor-free, sign up for TED Radio Hour+. That's because you are directly supporting our work at NPR. Learn more at plus.npr.org/ted Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Being jolted out of the everyday can be a good thing. From an elaborate farce, to benign naughtiness, to a life-altering event—this hour, TED speakers explain the productive side of the provocative. Guests include bird truther Peter McIndoe, psychologist Paul Bloom and cognitive scientist Maya Shankar. Original broadcast date: December 8, 2023TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The average American household throws away $200 of food each month. How can we get more food onto plates and less into landfills? This hour, changing the food system, from the farm to your kitchen. Guests include food waste expert Dana Gunders, social entrepreneur Jasmine Crowe-Houston, chef and sustainability activist Anthony Myint and behavioral scientist Jiaying Zhao. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/tedLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In some pockets of the world, people have a higher chance of living longer. So how do they do it? This hour, TED speaker Dan Buettner takes us to Blue Zones to learn how to live a long, happy life. Original broadcast date: December 22, 2023.TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/tedLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Forgetting a name, a poorly executed hug, the 7th grade — awkwardness is part of our lives whether we like it or not. But what if we put the embarrassment aside and embraced our awkward selves? Guests include social scientist Ty Tashiro, cartoonist Liana Finck, journalist Melissa Dahl and sex and relationship counselor Erin Chen. Original broadcast date: April 19, 2024.TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/tedLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The sun rises and sets every day of our lives, but it still holds many mysteries. This hour, TED speakers share the latest in probing, replicating, and harnessing the power of our massive star. Guests include astrophysicist Nour Rawafi, fusion physicist Tammy Ma, renewable energy strategist Rebecca Collyer and science journalist David Baron. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/tedCorrection: a previous version of this story referred to Nour Rawafi as a NASA scientist, when in fact he is a scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and NASA. The international team working on NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission are comprised of scientists from APL, NASA, and several other organizations.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Artificial intelligence is powerful, but what about natural intelligence? This hour, TED speakers explore the intrinsic genius in animal language, insect behavior, plant anatomy and our immune system. Guests include neuroscientist Greg Gage, computational neuroscientist Frances Chance, social psychoneuroimmunologist Keely Muscatell and environmental researcher Karen Bakker.Original broadcast date: March 8, 2024Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From sustaining a marriage to making new friends, forming connections requires courage. This hour, TED speakers guide us through being brave during the most difficult moments in relationships. Guests include writer and podcaster Kelly Corrigan, journalist Allison Gilbert and clinical psychologists Julie and John Gottman. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/ted Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From our planet's underwater caves to its ancient soils, there are entire worlds right beneath our feet. This hour, we explore the subterranean forces that shape our lives above the ground. Guests include cave diver Jill Heinerth, death care advocate Katrina Spade, soil scientist Asmeret Asefaw Berhe and paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim. Original broadcast date: March 11, 2022.TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Mustafa Suleyman has played a pivotal role in the evolution of AI, as co-founder of DeepMind and now as CEO of Microsoft AI. This hour, he reflects on his career and shares his vision for the future.

We waste about a third of all of our food worldwide. Food waste expert Dana Gunders shares her approach to help us save money and keep groceries out of landfills.

Every year, billions of pounds of food go to waste in the U.S. Social entrepreneur Jasmine Crowe-Houston created a platform to reroute excess food from landfills to people in need.

What is a restaurant's role in food sustainability? Chef and climate activist Anthony Myint is giving restaurants and their customers a more direct way to support regenerative farming.

Science journalist David Baron is an umbraphile, an eclipse chaser. He says a solar eclipse is the ultimate experience of awe--a reminder of our profound relationship with the sun.

On Christmas Eve, NASA's Parker Solar Probe will get closer to the sun than ever before. Astrophysicist Nour Rawafi explains how this mission could help solve the sun's most perplexing mysteries.

A fusion reactor promises almost limitless energy—if we can build it. Physicist Tammy Ma explains how her team achieved fusion ignition, a crucial milestone powered by the world's largest laser.

Solar power is spreading at record rates. Despite this progress, renewable energy strategist Rebecca Collyer says we need to move faster to avert climate disasters.

A future filled with robot helpers sounds unsettling. But robot choreographer Catie Cuan says teaching machines to move more gracefully can help us feel more comfortable.

A new surgery maintains the sensation of limb control after an amputation. When paired with a bionic leg designed by MIT's Hugh Herr, amputees can move and "feel" their limbs like never before.