From robot helpers to smart body parts, the line between humans and machines 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.

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There are two sides to every coin — and sometimes our strengths become weaknesses. This hour, TED speakers explore the mixed blessings and volatile flip sides of mental health, parenting and AI. Guests include developmental psychologist Yuko Munakata, entrepreneur Andy Dunn and AI researcher Yejin Choi.

Original broadcast date: August 11, 2023

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We all work in teams, from families, to companies, and everything in between. So what's the secret to doing it better? This hour, TED speakers share surprising strategies for successful teamwork. Guests include activist Hajer Sharief, social psychologist Amy Edmondson and private equity investor Pete Stavros.

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We encounter friction every day — in all its forms — as we brush our teeth, go for a jog, argue with a friend. This hour, TED speakers explore how this force can be dialed up or down to improve our lives. Guests include tribologist Jennifer Vail, democracy activist and whistleblower Yaël Eisenstat, Sierra Leone's Minister of Education David Moinina Sengeh and TV producer Elan Gale. Original broadcast date: October 7, 2022.

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Whether you love or hate fashion, 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.

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Sometimes, the only way to make an impact is to be loud. This hour, three female performers talk about the rewards — and consequences — that come from speaking out and making people feel uncomfortable. Guests include comedian Lilly Singh, Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova and actor, playwright and director Sarah Jones.

Original Broadcast Date: October 20, 2023.

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It's never too late to make things right—even when cracks form within our relationships with our families, our environment...or the inevitable. This hour, TED speakers offer healing solutions. Guests include clinical psychologist Becky Kennedy, death doula Alua Arthur and indigenous community leader and conservationist Valérie Courtois. Original broadcast date: October 6, 2023

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What happened in the days, even hours, after an asteroid set off the fifth extinction? A New Jersey quarry, and site of a new museum founded by paleontologist Ken Lacovara, sheds light on the mystery.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Mantua Township, NJ helped to raise money for the construction of the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum. Paleontologist Ken Lacovara partnered with Rowan University to fundraise.

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We've got a special episode for you today from our friends at Short Wave. We all think about the Big Bang as the moment when our universe—everything in existence—began right? Turns out, it's not quite that simple. Today when scientists talk about the Big Bang, they mean a period of time, closer to an era rather than a specific moment.

Short Wave host Regina Barber talks with two cosmologists about the cosmic microwave background, its implications for the universe's origins and the discovery that started it all.

This episode is part of Short Wave's Space Camp series; you can find more here: https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-3299/short-wave-space-camp

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Everything is not what it seems. We can easily disguise ourselves in both the digital and physical world. This hour, TED speakers explore the ways we go incognito... from espionage to virtual reality. Guests include former CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez, artist Holly Herndon, anthropologist Mary L. Gray and digital fashion designer Gala Marija Vrbanic. Original broadcast date: August 26, 2022.

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Early adopters are flocking to AI bots for therapy, friendship, even love. How will these relationships impact us? MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle delves into her new research on "artificial intimacy." Later in the episode, host Manoush Zomorodi speaks with Somnium Space founder Artur Sychov.

Note: A few weeks ago, we talked to Sherry Turkle in a Body Electric episode called "If a bot relationship FEELS real, should we care that it's not?" Today's episode is an even deeper dive into that conversation with Sherry. We hope you enjoy it!

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