NPR/TED Staff

Illusionist and endurance artist David Blaine reveals how he has made a career out of fearlessly performing death-defying feats.

Marketer Rory Sutherland says advertising adds value to a product by changing our perception, rather than the product itself.

Customers want to feel what they buy is authentic, but consultant Joseph Pine says creating "real" authenticity is a challenge.

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock dives into the mysterious but influential world of brand marketing, on his quest to make a completely sponsored film about sponsorship.

Also: An appellate court suspends voter ID laws in Arizona and Kansas; Thai protesters are angry over their interim government; and China uses monkeys to help patrol military bases.

Angela Patton works to help girls and fathers stay connected and in each others' lives — but that becomes harder when the father is in jail. Patton tells the story of a unique father-daughter dance.

Writer Jeffrey Kluger explores the profound lifelong bond between brothers and sisters, and the influence of birth order, favoritism and sibling rivalry.

Why do we crave love so much? To learn about our need for romantic love, anthropologist Helen Fisher took MRIs of people in love — and people who had just been dumped.

How can couples sustain desire? Psychotherapist Esther Perel argues a good and committed relationship draws on the conflicting needs of security and surprise.

Amy Webb was having no luck with online dating, so she started treating the world of online dating as data — effectively hacking her way to finding a spouse.

"My dad's been out of a job for three years," the 10-year-old told Michelle Obama. The youngster's mother says the family didn't know the girl would do that.

Writer Daniel Pink explains why traditional rewards like money aren't always successful motivators.

Social psychologist Paul Piff describes how wealth changes behavior and how almost anyone's behavior can change when they're made to feel rich.

Social scientist Michael Norton researches how money can buy happiness — when you don't spend it on yourself. The key is social spending that benefits not just you, but other people.

Psychologist Laurie Santos studies human irrationality by observing how primates make decisions — including some not-so-savvy money choices their human relatives often make.

Behavioral economist Keith Chen says languages that don't have a future tense strongly correlate with higher savings.

Health advocate Rebecca Onie describes how our health care system can be restructured to prevent — and not just treat — illness.

Legal scholar Lawrence Lessig says corruption is at the heart of American politics and issues a bipartisan call for change.

Lawyer Bryan Stevenson explains how America's criminal justice system works against the poor and people of color, and how we can address it.

Attorney Philip K. Howard argues the U.S. has become a legal minefield and we need to simplify our laws.