572. Navigating Education, Ideology, and Children | Answer the Call
Michaela hosts a call-in episode with her father, where they answer listener questions about homeschooling, the corruption of K-12 education, ideological capture of schools, art education, and the limits of changing IQ. They discuss how parents can socialize homeschooled children, evaluate and supplement institutional schooling, inoculate kids against woke ideology through broad political and historical education, and the importance of teachers explaining why subjects matter. The episode closes with a reflection on IQ as largely stable, the difficulty of increasing it directly, and the greater importance of building character, wisdom, and motivation through challenging experiences.
How to stop AI from killing your critical thinking | Advait Sarkar
Researcher Advett Sarkar argues that current AI tools risk turning knowledge workers into passive validators, weakening creativity, critical thinking, memory, and metacognition. He proposes a different paradigm where AI is designed as a "tool for thought" that preserves material engagement, offers productive resistance, and scaffolds thinking. Using a prototype scenario, he shows how AI provocations, lenses, and structured outlining can help people work faster while actually thinking more deeply, and he closes with a call to prioritize human agency and cognitive flourishing in AI design.
Two US governors - a Democrat and a Republican - on why there's hope for democracy | Matt Meyer and J. Kevin Stitt
Democratic Governor of Delaware Matt Meyer and Republican Governor of Oklahoma J. Kevin Stitt interview each other on stage at TED Next 2025 about the health and future of American democracy. They discuss restoring trust in government through effective service delivery and federalism, navigating polarized information ecosystems, leveraging AI and apprenticeships in education, and preserving the American dream through integrity-driven, bipartisan leadership. The conversation emphasizes shared values, personal rapport, and practical reforms over partisan point-scoring.
What Happens When You Turn 20
Stephen Dubner first reads the new foreword to the 20th anniversary edition of the book Freakonomics, reflecting on his long partnership with economist Steve Levitt, the unexpected success of their work, and how the world and their own lives have changed over two decades. He then has a live onstage conversation with PBS NewsHour host Jeff Bennett at Sixth and I in Washington, D.C., discussing journalism, data, incentives, curiosity without cynicism, the evolution of Freakonomics Radio, the role of government data and politics, and how to think more clearly in an age of noise, misinformation, and emerging technologies like AI. Audience questions prompt Dubner to talk about riskier findings, career choices, updating past research, decency, and the future of technology and investing.
A new experiment in remote work ... from the inside
Planet Money examines Maine's experiment with allowing incarcerated people to hold remote jobs for market-rate wages, focusing on the stories of grants coordinator Darlene George and software engineer Preston Thorpe. Reporter Susan Sharon and Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty explain how prison education led to remote work opportunities, how earnings are handled and prioritized for restitution and fees, and the ethical debates and incentive problems that arise when prisons collect a share of those wages. The episode contrasts Maine's guarded approach with Alabama's far more extractive system, and explores what this could mean for recidivism, victims, and the future of prison labor.
The Limits of Knowing with Elise Crull
Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice talk with philosopher of physics Elise Crull about the historical and contemporary relationship between physics and philosophy. They trace how natural philosophy split into specialized disciplines, how foundational concepts like space, time, and objectivity shaped classical and modern physics, and why questions raised by quantum mechanics-such as entanglement and non-locality-force a reevaluation of those concepts. The conversation also explores academic specialization, the role of philosophy in guiding cutting-edge physics, and Neil's nuanced critique of modern academic philosophy.
How to build your confidence - and spark it in others | Brittany Packnett Cunningham (re-release)
Host Elise Hu introduces a 2019 TED Talk by educator and activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham on the nature and power of confidence. Drawing on stories from her childhood, her classroom, women rangers in Kenya, and her own career, Brittany argues that confidence is a critical engine for turning ideas into action and pursuing justice. She outlines three elements that "crack the code" of what she calls revolutionary confidence: permission, community, and curiosity.
How to empower the next generation of pilots | Refilwe Ledwaba
Airline and helicopter pilot and educator Refilwe Ledwaba shares her journey from flight attendant to becoming the first Black woman helicopter pilot in South Africa, highlighting how a supportive instructor redesigned training around her background and learning needs. She explains how those experiences inspired her to found Girls Fly Africa, which prepares young people-especially girls from rural and traditional communities-for careers in aviation and aerospace through information, skills training, financial support, networks, and long‑term mentorship. In a follow‑up conversation, she and TED Fellows Program Director Lily Jameson Olds discuss systemic barriers for women in aviation, the importance of community and role models, and her vision of normalizing women's presence in high‑level aviation roles.
650. The Doctor Won't See You Now
Stephen Dubner examines the growing shortage of physicians in the United States, exploring both demand-side pressures like an aging population and supply-side constraints in medical education and training. Former CDC director and infectious disease physician Rochelle Walensky outlines workforce data, training bottlenecks, burnout, debt, and rural access problems, while economic historian Karen Clay explains how the early 20th-century Flexner Report raised medical standards but also sharply reduced the number of medical schools and doctors, with complex long-term consequences. Throughout, practicing and former physicians describe how bureaucracy, insurance rules, changing public attitudes, and alternative career options are reshaping the medical profession.
Colleges Push Back, Ozempic Price Promise, and White House vs. Anthropic
Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway open with personal banter about Las Vegas, aging, relationships, and Kara's upcoming trip to Korea to film a show about demographic aging. They then discuss the nationwide No Kings protests against Trump, the Trump administration's proposed Compact for Academic Excellence and universities' coordinated pushback, and the White House's conflict with Anthropic over AI regulation amid broader concerns about regulatory capture by big tech. The hosts also cover GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Trump's claim about cutting their price, a major Chinese-linked cyberattack on F5 and U.S. infrastructure vulnerabilities, the externalities of AI data centers, and wins and fails including the protests, George Santos' commuted sentence, and debates over billionaire influence and philanthropy.
MALALA: The Story The World Hasn't Heard Until Now
Jay Shetty interviews Malala about her journey from a mischievous schoolgirl in Pakistan to a globally recognized girls' education activist after surviving a Taliban assassination attempt at age 15. She describes the loss of her old life, the pressure of being turned into a global symbol, her struggles with loneliness, PTSD, and therapy, and the long process of reclaiming her own identity, humor, and desires. Malala also explains her ongoing work through Malala Fund, the situation of girls in places like Afghanistan, and how she navigated love, self-image, and marriage while staying committed to girls' education.
Selects: How Schoolhouse Rock Rocked: Featuring Bob Nastanovich of Pavement
The hosts revisit the history and cultural impact of the educational cartoon series Schoolhouse Rock, tracing its origins in a 1970s advertising agency, the role of jazz musician Bob Dorough, and the evolution of its themed seasons on math, grammar, civics, and science. They discuss standout songs, how the show balanced sophisticated music with kid-friendly concepts, its decline with the computer-focused Scooter Computer and Mr. Chips segments, and its 1990s revival and later stage and media adaptations, including tributes and critiques of its simplified historical narratives. In an added interview, Pavement's Bob Nastanovich describes how the band came to record a highly personalized version of "No More Kings" for the 1990s tribute album, and the episode closes with a listener letter about grief, nostalgia, and family memories tied to the show.
OpenAI Backtracks, Elon's Netflix Boycott, and Instagram Safety Features
Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway discuss U.S. immigration crackdowns under President Trump, including National Guard deployments, ICE raids, and the use of masked agents, arguing these tactics are authoritarian and designed to inflame division. They examine how tech platforms and algorithms amplify rage, debate OpenAI's Sora copyright policy and its impact on Hollywood and creative workers, and analyze Elon Musk's call to boycott Netflix, SpaceX's Chinese funding, and SpaceX's growing power in satellite-based mobile service. The episode also covers Instagram's inadequate teen safety measures, the mental health impact of social media on youth, and a Trump-era higher education compact that would reshape university admissions, ideology on campus, foreign enrollment, and pricing.
The Anxious Generation with Jonathan Haidt
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Gary O'Reilly, and Chuck Nice interview social psychologist Jonathan Haidt about his book "The Anxious Generation" and the mental health crisis among Gen Z. Haidt argues that a combination of overprotected, low-risk real-world childhoods and underprotected exposure to smartphones and social media has driven sharp rises in anxiety, depression, self-harm, and loneliness, especially among girls. He outlines evidence for the crisis, explains developmental brain mechanisms, details platform-specific harms, and proposes four social norms and policy changes to roll back the "phone-based childhood," while warning about emerging AI chatbot toys aimed at children.
What separates us from chimpanzees? | Jane Goodall
Host Elise Hugh introduces a 2003 TED Talk by primatologist Jane Goodall, presented as a tribute after news of her death, highlighting her groundbreaking work with chimpanzees and its impact on how we understand humans and other animals. In the talk, Goodall describes chimpanzee cognition and culture, the environmental and social forces threatening great apes and human communities, and her youth program Roots and Shoots. She closes by arguing that hope lies in our individual and collective choices to live more lightly on the planet and act with compassion toward all life.
(#3) Elise's Top Ten: If I should have a daughter ... | Sarah Kay
Host Elise Hu introduces a special rebroadcast of Sarah Kay's 2011 TED performance as part of her "Top 10 TED Talks" playlist, highlighting the spoken word poem "If I Should Have a Daughter." In the talk, Sarah performs two poems and reflects on how spoken word poetry helps her and her students make sense of the world, move from self-doubt to self-expression, and build genuine connection. She shares her own journey into spoken word, her teaching practice with Project Voice, and stories like that of her student Charlotte to illustrate the power of vulnerability and personal storytelling.
Your Brain on ChatGPT with Nataliya Kosmyna
The hosts speak with MIT Media Lab research scientist Natalia Kozmina about her study "Your brain on ChatGPT," which investigated how using large language models (LLMs) for essay writing affects brain activity, memory, and sense of ownership compared with using a search engine or no tools. They discuss her findings on reduced functional connectivity when using ChatGPT, more homogeneous writing, weaker recall, and diminished ownership, and explore broader implications for cognitive load, education, professional skills (such as medicine), mental health, AI companions, and the need for ethical guardrails and human‑focused research around AI and future brain‑computer interfaces.