NPR/TED Staff

Ecologist Suzanne Simard shares how she discovered that trees use underground fungal networks to communicate and share resources, uprooting the idea that nature constantly competes for survival.

To achieve radical change, writer George Monbiot says we need a new story that explains the present and guides the future. He offers a vision built around our innate capacity for cooperation.

Are some acts of altruism more effective than others? Philosopher Peter Singer examines the greater good on a global scale, asking how we can maximize the positive impact of our actions during crisis.

For millennia, China has taught its citizens to embrace individual sacrifice for the greater good. Writer Huang Hung explains how this mindset allows the country to preserve safety during a crisis.

The killing of George Floyd by a police officer has sparked massive protests nationwide. This hour, writer and scholar Clint Smith reflects on this moment, through conversation, letters, and poetry.

Billionaire entrepreneur Nick Hanauer says that today's inequality results from decades of bad economic theory. He argues for a reinvention of our capitalist system and our definition of prosperity.

Michael Tubbs has been saying "reinvent Stockton" since he was elected mayor. Having grown up in Stockton himself, Tubbs takes a community-oriented approach to creating positive change in the city.

Former gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field led her team to victory by creating a supportive environment, instead of a cutthroat one. The impact of that decision, she says, echoes far beyond the gym.

Imagine surrounding yourself with images and sounds, in order to set old ideas in a new context. OK Go's Damian Kulash Jr. describes the process that has inspired the band's hits and viral videos.

If you had to explain to a newborn what it means to live on Earth, at this time of crisis — what would you say? Writer, illustrator, and artist Oliver Jeffers gives his answer in a letter to his son.

In 2015, Christiana Figueres helped pave the path to the historic Paris Agreement. She says more than ever we need stubborn optimism — a gritty, determined choice to make change because we have to.

For some youth, being part of the solution means focusing their entire lives on the climate crisis. For Xiye Bastida, a 17-year-old climate justice activist, there is no hope without action.

It's easy to feel powerless against looming challenges we cannot control — like climate change. So what should we do? Political strategist Tom Rivett-Carnac says the power is in our mindset.

We're used to thinking of DNA as a rigid blueprint. Karissa Sanbonmatsu researches how our environment affects the way DNA expresses itself—especially when it comes to sex and gender.

Artist Emily Quinn is intersex. She's one of over 150 million people in the world who don't fit neatly into the categories of male or female. She explains how biological sex exists on a spectrum.

Over a century ago, one part of our DNA got labelled the "sex chromosomes." Science and radio journalist Molly Webster explains the consequences of that oversimplification.

The human body is not a patchwork of separate systems. It's intricately connected, says neuroscientist Lisa Mosconi. She explains the relationship between our brains, hormones and reproductive organs.

As the pandemic reveals the weaknesses of our economy, businesses and consumers are rethinking what they value. This hour, TED's Corey Hajim shares ideas on shifting the role of business in society.

For architect Grace Kim, the antidote to isolation is co-housing. She describes how she built a home—and a community—by designing an apartment building for her family and eight other families.

As a cancer patient, Suleika Jaouad spent years in and out of hospital rooms, isolated from the outside world. She shares her insights on finding creative solitude during periods of forced isolation.