ted radio hour

Parents want a bright future for their kids. But in the rush to advance in the classroom, psychology researcher Peter Gray says we've ignored the essential developmental tool of independent play.

When Tracy Edwards was expelled from school, she wound up working on boats. That led her to form a record-breaking all-female sailing crew, which circumnavigated the world in 1989.

Nadya Tolokonnikova, a member of the Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot, knows how dangerous it can be for women to make music, especially when the government doesn't approve.

You probably know Bach and Beethoven, but how many women composers can you name? Opera singer Gabriella Di Laccio is on a mission to rewrite music history by recovering the work of women in music.

What did the early universe sound like? Astronomer Mark Whittle partnered with musicians to translate the sounds of the expanding universe into music audible to human ears.

Modern life is filled with complex issues, from the climate crisis to the impact of AI. Artist Yiyun Kang creates immersive art that invites us think about — and to physically feel — these challenges.

NIH researcher Paule Joseph thinks we should stop to smell the roses — literally. Our sense of smell, or lack of it, can reveal a lot about our brain health.

On social media, the algorithm drives which words go viral. TikToker and writer Adam Aleksic (@etmologynerd) argues that what we consume on platforms is changing our language on and offline.

Many people say they feel addicted to their devices. Journalist Nayeema Raza says three pre-internet habits could help us slow down and break the screen cycle.