Manoush Zomorodi turns TED Talks into themed, multi-guest explorations of science and society.
TED Radio Hour pairs Manoush Zomorodi’s calm narration with TED speakers, researchers, writers, and practitioners. Recent episodes move from ancient philosophy and emotional regulation to AI ethics, memory, negotiation, animal behavior, and the hidden systems behind ordinary decisions.
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TED Radio Hour is a themed interview anthology, not a single-guest conversation show: each roughly 50-minute episode is organized around one idea (e.g., 'hidden forces,' 'coexistence,' 'perceiving the world') and stitches together two to five segments built from TED Talks. Host Manoush Zomorodi introduces the theme, narrates transitions between segments, and interviews the featured speakers directly. Guests vary episode to episode and are typically subject-matter experts -- biologists, psychologists, negotiation professors, neuroscientists, technologists, and activists -- rather than celebrities or fellow broadcasters. Recurring subject areas in the sample include cognitive science and memory reliability, artificial intelligence and its role relative to human judgment, negotiation and communication skills, emotional regulation, animal behavior, the cultural history of food, and conflict resolution or peacebuilding work. Some episodes stay in an explanatory, educational register (e.g., how otters coordinate hunts, how food norms formed after WWII), while others carry a narrative, personal-story structure (e.g., a peace activist's account of brokering a gang truce after losing family members to violence). The show is produced by NPR and includes sponsor reads and cross-promotion for other NPR programs at the open. Listeners who enjoy long-form, research-grounded explanations of psychology, science, and social issues -- delivered through a curated, multi-guest format rather than a single deep-dive conversation -- are the core audience. The format suits people who want breadth across a theme in one sitting rather than a single extended interview.
Made for: Listeners interested in psychology, science, and social issues who like curated, multi-segment episodes built around a single theme rather than one long single-guest interview.
What sets it apart: Rather than a single guest per episode, each hour curates several TED Talk-based segments around one theme, narrated and interviewed by an NPR host.
Exploring the biggest questions of our time with the help of the world's greatest thinkers. Host Manoush Zomorodi inspires us to learn more about the world, our communities, and most importantly, ourselves.Get more brainy miscellany with TED Radio Hour+. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/ted
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Manoush Zomorodi connects research on learning, emotion, memory, and conflict to practical questions adults can carry into family life.
TED Radio Hour turns large public questions into guided conversations, with Manoush Zomorodi moving between TED speakers, reported context, and practical follow-up questions.
Siri meets contaminated eyewitness memory, and somehow both sharpen the questions you carry away.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A clear, humane look at AI as a design choice, with education as its most grounded test case.
TED Radio Hour treats AI less as a replacement story than as a design problem: who benefits, who chooses the goals, and what happens when personal data is used for help rather than manipulation.
A measured case for awe, music, scent, and art as tools for managing emotion.
TED Radio Hour starts its episode on managing emotions at a Stradivarius auction at Sotheby's in New York, where bidding opens at $8 million and climbs fast. The detour works.
A clear, grounded episode on perception, contaminated memory, and why early eyewitness accounts deserve more care than confident later ones.
TED Radio Hour treats perception as more private and changeable than everyday confidence allows. Manoush Zomorodi opens with Alex Rosenthal's visualization exercise and the unsettling idea that other minds are partly closed to us, then moves into memory as a system that can…
A Columbia Law professor argues that silence and preparation often beat the poker face.
Negotiation, in this episode, is less about being a natural closer than about learning a few repeatable moves. Alex Carter, a professor at Columbia Law School, talks Manoush Zomorodi through one of the simplest: make the proposal, then stop talking.
A Watts peace treaty, a 44-percent drop in gang homicides, and the steady work required to keep that peace alive.
Peace in Watts is strongest when it stays close to the neighborhood. The TED Radio Hour episode on reconciliation turns on a concrete result: in the first two years of a community peace treaty, gang homicides in Watts dropped 44 percent.
David McRaney interviews researchers on cognitive bias, motivated reasoning, and why minds change.
Daily TED and TEDx talks hosted by Elise Hu, spanning science, psychology, and creativity.
Two hosts revisit one film, show, or book a week, plus long personal tangents.
Lawfare's weekly panel turns Supreme Court rulings and war-powers fights into legal debate.
TED Radio Hour frames Hidden Forces around the question of how ordinary choices get shaped by forces people rarely notice.
AI is treated as a choice people still get to make.
Managing emotion becomes something you can practice.
Memory is not a recording.
This episode explores how writer Pico Iyer, known for his TED talks and travel writing, was unexpectedly cast in the film 'Marty Supreme' due to his passion for table tennis.
TED Radio Hour’s 'Curious stories of coexistence' opens with Manoush Zomorodi framing the show’s mission around TED Talks that 'surprise you,' 'challenge you,' and 'even change you.' The featured segment brings in Philip Johns, a biologist and geneticist, to explain how a family of otters in a river forms a chain and corrals small fish against a canal wall.
Silence shifts the room.
This episode features a conversation with sociologist Anna Maleka Tubbs about her book 'The Three Mothers,' exploring how mothers have shaped American history and why women's contributions are often erased.
This episode explores the legal challenges facing social media giants like Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube over claims of harming children, including recent bans in Australia and France.
This episode explores the awkward and often traumatic experience of school picture day, using it as a lens to discuss identity and self-perception.
Peace feels fragile here.
This episode explores the future of memory through a story about a refugee crisis and its impact on identity.
This episode explores the psychology and societal impact of winning the lottery, featuring a financial advisor who works with lottery winners.
This episode explores the concept of natural intelligence, starting with a historical story about a curious plant in North Carolina.
Exploring a clinical trial that sequences healthy babies' DNA to screen for hundreds of genetic diseases.
This episode explores how people navigate uncertainty, from political polarization to pediatric cancer patients finding joy through medical clowns.
This episode is a promotional segment for NPR's TED Radio Hour, highlighting the show's mission to explore science, technology, and human behavior while addressing challenges to public media funding and press freedom.
This episode of TED Radio Hour explores who is shaping the future of AI through groundbreaking TED Talks and discussions on technology, science, and human behavior.
This episode discusses the importance of public media funding for NPR and its podcasts like TED Radio Hour, while promoting NPR Plus for listener support.
A tribute to conductor Robert Franz, who shares his four tools for better listening and appreciation of classical music.
A podcast that explores the biggest questions of our time with the world's greatest thinkers, covering topics like technology, neuroscience, and human behavior.
Exploring how researchers use AI to decode animal communication and better understand the natural world.
Host Manoush Zomorodi introduces a segment on parenting stress with clinical psychologist Becky Kennedy discussing a challenging dinner moment.
This episode explores the creator economy, how people monetize creativity, and the impact of AI on creativity, featuring social media influencers.
This episode examines the historical origins and evolving concept of creativity, featuring an interview with Yancey Strickler.
An exploration of how election officials ensure free and fair voting for overseas military personnel, featuring Charleston County's election director.
Writer Kelly Corrigan discusses how parents can better connect with their upset children by listening instead of problem-solving.
This episode explores the concept of late bloomers through the personal story of writer Dori Shafrir, who felt behind her peers in life milestones.
Part 2 of a series profiling tech visionaries, featuring conversations about AI and the human-tech relationship.
Host Manoush Zomorodi introduces a segment on the social dynamics of middle school, focusing on the experience of being a 'nerd' and how it shapes identity.
This episode explores the Human Genome Project's history, achievements, and ongoing impact on medicine and genetics.
Host Manoush Zomorodi introduces a segment where author Anne Lamott shares a story about overcoming procrastination by focusing on small steps.
This episode explores the discomfort and trauma of having one's photo taken, using picture day as a metaphor for forced self-presentation.
A horseback rider shares her lifelong dream of competing in the Olympics, detailing her intense dedication and training regimen.