logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
50m 17s

Friction

NPR
About this episode
Original broadcast date: October 7, 2022. 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. Guests include tribologist Jennifer Vail, democracy activist and whistleblower Yaël Eisenstat, Sierra Leone's Minister of Education David Moinina Sengeh and TV producer Elan Gale.

TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) sponsor-free. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/ted

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Aug 22
A guide to being brave in relationships
From sustaining a marriage to making new friends, forming connections requires courage. This hour, TED speakers guide us through being brave during the most difficult moments in relationships. Guests include writer and podcaster Kelly Corrigan, journalist Allison Gilbert and clin ... Show More
49m 37s
Aug 15
How deserted places find a second life
Lots left vacant, offices full of equipment but devoid of people, entire villages literally left to the wolves--this hour, TED speakers share stories about bringing new life to abandoned places. Guests include evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton, entrepreneur Garry Coope ... Show More
50m 9s
Aug 8
The skin we're in
Our skin protects us, connects us, and constantly gathers data about the world around us. This hour, we explore how skin shapes our sense of self and how tech might change the way we touch and feel. Guests include mechanical engineer Katherine Kuchenbecker, materials scientist An ... Show More
49m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
Aphantasia
Close your eyes and imagine a red apple. What do you see? Turns out there’s a whole spectrum of answers to that question and Producer Sindhu Gnanasambandan is on one far end. In this episode, she explores what it means to see – and not see – in your mind.Special thanks to Kim Ned ... Show More
34m 43s
Mar 2024
Hold On
Two years ago, the United States did something amazing. In response to the mental health crisis the federal government launched 988 - a nationwide, easy to remember phone number that anyone can call anytime and talk to a counselor. It was 911 but for mental health and they hoped ... Show More
47m 35s
Jan 2024
The Living Room
We're thrilled to present a piece from one of our favorite podcasts, Love + Radio (Nick van der Kolk and Brendan Baker).  Producer Briana Breen brings us the story: Diane’s new neighbors across the way never shut their curtains, and that was the beginning of an intimate, but very ... Show More
25m 46s
Nov 2023
What Reality TV Says About Us
Reality TV shapes and reflects how we see ourselves, and what we regard as normal. Professor Danielle J. Lindemann watched thousands of hours of reality tv to decode its influence on society. She joins us to discuss her book True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us (FSG, 2022).  ... Show More
44m 7s
Feb 2024
Cheating Death
In this episode, Maria Paz Gutiérrez does battle against the one absolute truth of human existence and all life… death. After getting a team of scientists to stand in for death (the grim reaper wasn’t available), we parry and thrust our way through the myriad ways that death come ... Show More
41m 49s
Jul 2018
The special edition science show
Future File has taken a bit of an indefinite hiatus recently - but we're back for a one-off special edition show all about science!Science continues to progress at breathtaking speed and making sense of it all can be a bit tricky.Technological advancements face off against danger ... Show More
25m 35s
Jun 2024
The Winter Rangers
During their twelve seasons as winter rangers in Yosemite National Park, Rob and Laura Pilewski have learned a thing or two about what it means to love a place – and a person.This episode comes to us from the wonderful folks at The Dirtbag Diaries, another podcast that features s ... Show More
35m 54s
May 2024
Mixtapes to the Moon
They promised to change you. They ended up changing all of us. On July 20, 1969 humanity watched as Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. It was the dazzling culmination of a decade of teamwork, a collective global experience unlike anything before or since, a singular moment ... Show More
37m 38s
Jul 2024
Righteous Indignation, Love, and Running for President w/ Dr. Cornel West
Righteous indignation, truth, justice, and, maybe most important, love. These are some of the pillars that support the work that Dr. Cornel West, today’s guest, has been committed to throughout his entire life. Dr. West, as you may likely already know,  is a longtime political ac ... Show More
1h 20m