TED Radio Hour 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.

TED Radio HourTED Radio Hour

Life's biggest questions, explored.

Friction

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.

Ryan Lash / TED

Jennifer Vail: How tribology can change the way you view the material world

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1127244246/1127426813" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

TED Radio HourTED Radio Hour

Life's biggest questions, explored.

Previous Shows

The State of Fashion

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.

Costume by Machine Dazzle for Taylor Mac in “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music” Gregory Kramer hide caption

toggle caption
Gregory Kramer

Loudmouths

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.

Softulka/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Relationship Repair

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.

atakan/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The day the dinosaurs died

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.

Courtesy of The Jean and Richard Edelman Fossil park

Incognito

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.

Stokkete/Shutterstock