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A journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, and new ways to think and create. Based on riveting TEDTalks from the world's most remarkable minds.

TED Radio Hour

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Listen Live

Host Stephen Dubner has surprising conversations that explore the riddles of everyday life and the weird wrinkles of human nature-from cheating and crime to parenting and sports. Dubner talks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists and entrepreneurs - and his Freakonomics co-author Steve Levitt.
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Freakonomics

Host Stephen Dubner has surprising conversations that explore the riddles of everyday life and the weird wrinkles of human nature-from cheating and crime to parenting and sports. Dubner talks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists and entrepreneurs - and his Freakonomics co-author Steve Levitt.

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The Pulse

The Pulse Episode Archive

The Pulse
Health

The Water We Drink

Most of us take our drinking water for granted — switch on the tap, and out it flows. But in much of the world, that’s not the case. ...

Air Date: November 30, 2018

Listen 48:51
The Pulse
Science

The Difference a Gun Makes

A gun can change a moment, a life, a family, an entire neighborhood. Like a catalyst in a chemical reaction, guns have a unique ability t ...

Air Date: November 22, 2018

Listen 49:10
The Pulse
Health

We’re Family — But Why?

Ever sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, look around at the shining faces of your family, and think to yourself: “How the heck am I relate ...

Air Date: November 16, 2018

Listen 47:22
The Pulse
Health

Facing Our Fears

Nerve-racking. Sickening. Facing your fear can be all of that — and sometimes a little thrilling, too.

Air Date: October 26, 2018

Listen 49:07
The Pulse
Science

Global Warning

Climate change could transform our planet sooner than we thought. A new report from the United Nations says that just 1.5 degrees Celsius ...

Air Date: October 19, 2018

Listen 49:11
Courtesy of the Science History Institute
The Pulse
Science

Check the Label

Who has time to read the small print — to go over all the “stuff” that’s in our food, medicine, or supplements? And what’s carr ...

Air Date: October 12, 2018

Listen 48:07
Image: Molly Segal
The Pulse
Science

In the Name of Science

Advances in science don’t just happen — sometimes, real progress requires heroic measures. On this show, we explore the lengths peopl ...

Air Date: October 5, 2018

Listen 47:15
Acupuncture
The Pulse
Health

Different Country, Different Medicine

Medicine, healthcare — even illness — vary from country to country. Those differences are driven by tradition, culture, even politics ...

Air Date: September 28, 2018

Listen 48:25
The Pulse
Health

Who’s in Control – Tech or Us?

Technology helps us run our lives, do our jobs, get directions and keep track of our calendars. Right? Or, is technology taking control o ...

Air Date: September 21, 2018

Listen 48:43
Image: Irina Zhorov
The Pulse
Health

Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico One Year Later

It’s been a year since Hurricane Maria swept through Puerto Rico, destroying lives and reducing many communities to rubble. The storm a ...

Air Date: September 7, 2018

Listen 48:34
The Pulse
Science

How Schools Shape Health

School is a place where kids learn about health — everything from nutrition to avoiding STDs. But increasingly, schools across the coun ...

Air Date: August 24, 2018

Listen 48:51
The Pulse
Science

When Panic Attacks

From panic disorders to social phobia, anxiety is the most common mental health condition in the United States. What toll does anxiety ta ...

Air Date: August 17, 2018

Listen 48:36
The Pulse
Health

Why We Travel

We travel to experience awe or learn something new — maybe even to get our worldview shaken up a bit. On this episode, The Pulse explor ...

Air Date: August 3, 2018

Listen 48:54
Image: Krudller/Wikimedia Commons
The Pulse
Science

Unintended Consequences

In science and medicine, we often fail to predict the outcomes of our experiments and actions. The result: unintended consequences. Somet ...

Air Date: July 27, 2018

Listen 48:59
The Pulse
Science

Make (a) Way

For a long time disability meant one thing — limitations. Think about the word disabled: its literal meaning is broken, not functioning ...

Air Date: July 20, 2018

Listen 49:46
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