Babbage from The Economist

The Economist

Babbage is our weekly podcast on science and technology, named after Charles Babbage—a 19th-century polymath and grandfather of computing. Host Alok Jha talks to our correspondents about the innovations, discoveries and gadgetry shaping the world. Published every Wednesday.

If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription.

For more information about Economist Podcasts+, including how to get access, please visit our FAQs page here https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts

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Our Editor's Take

The Babbage from The Economist podcast examines science and technology advances and issues. It features tech news from all across the world. It also discusses new research, clinical trials, and breakthroughs. The tech and science analysis podcast offers many discussions about headline-making innovation. It answers the questions many don't even realize they need to ask. The podcast separates fact from fiction about trending issues such as artificial intelligence. Experts with various backgrounds join host Alok Jha in each weekly episode.

This show is part of The Economist's network of podcasts. The publication has been around since 1843, releasing its first batch of podcasts in 2006. Alok is an author and The Economist's science and technology editor. Before joining the magazine, Alok worked at the BBC, ITV News, and The Guardian. In 2008, he won the European Science Writer of the Year award. He wrote The Water Book, which is about the role and importance of water in evolution. Previous hosts and regulars on the show include Kenneth Cukier, Natasha Loder, and Jason Palmer. Many other staff members at The Economist also join the conversation each week.

Many Babbage topics focus on innovation and evolution in tech and science. In one discussion, the host and guest examine the specific applications of generative AI. Another episode explores how health and weight monitoring apps change the wellness landscape. This debate analyzes how these apps help address obesity in many countries. Another discussion examines how deep fakes generated by AI threaten biometric security.

In one episode, Dylan Barry discusses human origins with Alok. They explore where humans first emerged and why a particular group dominated others. The discussion reveals fascinating details and information about human beings. Dylan shares his findings from when he visited a cave in South Africa with primitive bones. The episode is engaging and thought-provoking. Listeners can expect many episodes with similar depth on Babbage from The Economist.

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Trailer: The Modi Raj

Trailer: The Modi Raj

Narendra Modi is one of the most popular politicians on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democracy. A tea-seller’s son, Mr Modi began life an outsider and the man behind the political phenomenon remains hard to fathom. India has become an economic powerhouse during his ten years in charge. But he’s also the frontman for a chauvinistic Hindu nationalist dogma. Can Mr Modi continue to balance both parts of his agenda and finish the job of turning India into a superpower? The Economist’s Avantika Chilkoti finds out what makes him tick. Launching June 2024.To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Episodes

AI for science: Demis Hassabis, Jennifer Doudna and James Manyika

AI for science: Demis Hassabis, Jennifer Doudna and James Manyika

The most transformational impact of AI will probably be to make science faster and more productive. Solve that problem and you can do more great things even faster—alleviate disease, tackle climate change or help astronomers explore new worlds. In this episode, we speak to both the makers of AI models and the researchers who are already seeing the benefits of AI in their laboratories.Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor, interviews Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, and James Manyika, senior vice president of research, technology and society at Google. Jennifer Doudna, founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute, tells us how AI is already making a difference in her labs. The Economist’s Alex Hern considers the future of the field.For more on AI in science, check out our previous episodes of Babbage: how AI promises to revolutionise science (September 2023), our two-parter on AI and health (May 2024) and our series on the science that built the AI revolution (March 2024).Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Burning ambition: how to end coal

Burning ambition: how to end coal

Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel, bad for both the environment and human health. But it still produces a third of the world’s electricity. Eliminating its use will be crucial in the fight against climate change but the task is proving very challenging. As world leaders gather in Azerbaijan this week for the UN’s COP29 climate summit, we travel to South Africa to learn how to (and how not to) phase out coal. We also hear about the issues making waves at COP29—including what Donald Trump’s second presidential term could mean for climate change policy around the world.Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: The Economist’s Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Rachel Dobbs and John McDermott.For more on COP29, check out the latest episode of our “Money Talks” podcast, which examines whether the bill for the energy transition has been overestimated.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

ADHD: just a different way of being normal

ADHD: just a different way of being normal

Diagnoses of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are on the rise around the world. ADHD has traditionally been treated as a dysfunction in the brain, which leads to a range of symptoms that need to be fixed or mitigated, sometimes with medication. But the scientific evidence for that view is beginning to fray. A growing number of experts think that ADHD may simply represent another part of the spectrum of neurodiversity—a different way of being normal. This week, we explore the science underlying this view and the consequences it could have for the way in which the condition could be managed. Is it time to re-think ADHD? Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Duncan Astle of the University of Cambridge; and The Economist’s Slavea Chankova and Rachel Dobbs.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

The everything drugs: how Ozempic could change the world

The everything drugs: how Ozempic could change the world

The family of weight-loss jabs known as GLP-1 agonists are among pharma’s biggest blockbusters. But drugs like Ozempic have the potential to do much more than tackle diabetes and obesity. They have been found to treat cardiovascular and kidney disease, and they are also being tested for liver disease, Alzheimer’s and even addiction. If they live up to their promise, GLP-1s are set to transform health care. How can one class of drug do so much?Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Caroline Messer, an endocrinologist in New York; Daniel Drucker of the University of Toronto; and The Economist’s Natasha Loder and Shailesh Chitnis. For more on this topic, listen to our podcast on the physiological and psychological causes of obesity—and why GLP-1 drugs could reshape the world.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Europa Clipper: is there life on Jupiter's moons?

Europa Clipper: is there life on Jupiter's moons?

NASA’s multi-billion-dollar Europa Clipper spacecraft is on its way to Europa, one of Jupiter’s mysterious icy moons. The mission will investigate whether the moon, whose icy crust conceals a vast ocean of liquid water, might harbour the kind of environment suitable for alien life. In their search for life elsewhere, scientists have in recent years become much more interested in the outer solar system's icy moons, once considered too far from the Sun to plausibly support life. Europa Clipper is one of several probes heading to (or planned to travel to) those faraway worlds. Will they find signs that life could exist there?Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Michele Dougherty and her team at Imperial College London; Nathalie Cabrol of the SETI Institute and the author of “The Secret Life of the Universe”; and The Economist’s Tim Cross.For more on this topic, listen to our podcast on the European Space Agency’s JUICE mission and our interviews with exoplanet hunters Didier Queloz and Jessie Christiansen.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Like a rocket: Starship and the US-China Moon race

Like a rocket: Starship and the US-China Moon race

The remarkable recent test flight of SpaceX’s Starship brought the world one step closer to a host of new possibilities beyond Earth (not least the colonisation of Mars). But as well as reducing the cost of sending stuff into space and opening up new business opportunities in Earth orbit, Starship will also play an important role in NASA’s plans to return to the Moon. Meanwhile, China has its own lunar ambitions, and a much simpler plan than America’s. Who will win this new space race?Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Kari Bingen of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies; The Economist’s Tim Cross, Oliver Morton and Paddy Stephens.For more on this topic, listen to our podcasts on who owns the Moon, the new space economy, and the lunar South Pole.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

The 2024 Nobel prizes: a triumph for AI

The 2024 Nobel prizes: a triumph for AI

It’s been a big year for artificial intelligence—sealed by winning the highest accolades in the scientific world: the Nobel prizes. The innovations that underlie machine learning were recognised in the physics prize. And one of the most important scientific applications of machine learning won the chemistry prize. In the award for physiology or medicine, meanwhile, the discovery of micro-RNAs offers hope for a new generation of therapeutics. In this episode, we examine the winning discoveries and investigate how they could transform the world.Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: The Economist’s Natasha Loder, Geoff Carr and Emilie Steinmark.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Certainly uncertain: navigating risk and probability with Sir David Spiegelhalter

Certainly uncertain: navigating risk and probability with Sir David Spiegelhalter

The world can be an unpredictable and uncertain place. While some people relish those uncertainties, others become crippled by anxiety. Our guest has a way to help: mathematics. Specifically, statistics. Get better at spotting patterns and you’ll gain an understanding of the real nature of risk, chance and luck. Used properly, the surprising science of statistics can provide a sense of order to the risks of everyday life and could even help us make wiser decisions. Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor, speaks to Sir David Spiegelhater, a professor of statistics at the University of Cambridge and the author of “The Art of Uncertainty”.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Silicon returns to Silicon Valley: chipmaking enters a new golden age

Silicon returns to Silicon Valley: chipmaking enters a new golden age

For half a century, the exponential increases in computing performance have powered the digital age. These gains were achieved by shrinking the components on computer chips, meaning that each new generation of semiconductor technology has been faster and more efficient than the last. But, with engineers now facing limits to how much further silicon chips can shrink, and ever-increasing demand thanks to the AI boom, chipmakers are having to get creative. What are the technical innovations they hope will keep the world’s AI ambitions on track?Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Shailesh Chitnis, The Economist’s global business correspondent; Eric Pop of Stanford University; David Patterson, professor emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley; and The Economist’s Rachana Shanbhogue.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

A new prescription: Kathy Willis on how nature can improve your health

A new prescription: Kathy Willis on how nature can improve your health

Seeing, smelling and being in nature can directly improve your physical and mental health. We may know this intuitively but it is now also backed up by an emerging body of scientific research. What are the benefits of a walk in the woods? Why does the scent from certain trees enhance cancer-fighting cells in the immune system? What does birdsong have to do with pain management? And what exactly are your houseplants doing for your microbiome?Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor, speaks to Kathy Willis, professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford and author of “Good Nature: The New Science of How Nature Improves Our Health”.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

AGI, part two: how to make artificial intelligence more like the human kind

AGI, part two: how to make artificial intelligence more like the human kind

Scientists and tech companies are on a quest to build AI with something closer to the general intelligence of humans. Large language models (LLMs), which power the likes of ChatGPT, can seem human-like, but they work in very different ways to the beings that created them. In order to create a superintelligent world, how can modern AI models be improved to make them better at reasoning and understanding the world? Are LLMs the right type of technology to pursue? Or do scientists need to get more creative?This is the final episode in our two-part series on artificial general intelligence. Last week, we sought to define what is a slippery concept. This week: the technological and ethical challenges that need to be solved in building the truly human-like AI models.Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Steven Pinker of Harvard University; Gary Marcus, professor emeritus at New York University; Yoshua Bengio of the University of Montréal; and The Economist’s Abby Bertics.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

AGI, part one: what is artificial general intelligence?

AGI, part one: what is artificial general intelligence?

For those who think about the future of AI, one of the biggest buzzwords is artificial general intelligence, or AGI. Many of the biggest tech companies in the world point to AGI as their ultimate goal when building intelligent machines. But what does that really mean, and how useful is the concept for understanding how AI is progressing? In the first of two episodes, we explore how philosophers and scientists define AGI and what companies are doing to try to build it.Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Melanie Mitchell of the Santa Fe Institute; Susan Schneider of Florida Atlantic University; Blaise Aguera y Arcas, CTO of Technology & Society at Google; and The Economist’s Tom Standage, Kenneth Cukier and Abby Bertics.Over the last five weeks, “The Intelligence”, our daily news podcast, has been answering your questions about AI. Go back and listen here.You can find The Economist’s “Schools Brief” series of articles on artificial intelligence here. Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Sound idea: the revival of acoustic detection in warfare

Sound idea: the revival of acoustic detection in warfare

In the early 20th century, sound locators were dreamed up to provide early warning of incoming enemy aircraft. After the invention of radar, the technology was cast aside. But now, innovators in Ukraine have revived the idea of acoustic detection with surprising success. In this episode, we explore the history of the technology and the reasons it has recently proved so effective at helping Ukraine foil Russian aerial attacks. Will other countries follow suit?Host: Kenneth Cukier, The Economist's deputy executive editor. Contributors: Gascia Ouzounian of the University of Oxford; Tom Withington of RUSI; Ben Sutherland of The Economist; Kunal Patel, producer of “Babbage”.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Cosmology in crisis, part two: new theories for the unknown

Cosmology in crisis, part two: new theories for the unknown

There are a growing number of hints that the universe might not have evolved in the way that cosmologists thought. If those hints are confirmed by new sky surveys, it might turn out that dark matter and dark energy are more mysterious than anyone ever conceived before. In that case, how should scientists reformulate their standard model of the universe?This is the second of two episodes that explore a looming crisis in cosmology. We examine what cracks in the standard model of cosmology could mean for the quest to understand dark matter and dark energy.Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Michael Brown, Nathan Adams, Dan Thomas, Rebecca Bowler and Erik Rosenberg of the University of Manchester; Don Lincoln of Fermilab; Subir Sarkar of the University of Oxford; Nathalie Palanque-Delabrouille of DESI; and Emilie Steinmark, The Economist’s science correspondent. Listen to part one of the series, “Cosmology in crisis, part one: how to build a universe”.To learn more about how physicists are searching for dark matter, listen to our episode “Babbage: The hunt for dark matter”.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Cosmology in crisis, part one: how to build a universe

Cosmology in crisis, part one: how to build a universe

Most of the universe is missing. Only 5% of it is normal matter, which makes up all the people, planets and stars we can see; the other 95% consists of mysterious dark matter and dark energy. Scientists have some hypotheses of what these enigmatic substances might be but recent astronomical observations have posed challenges to their ideas. Even worse, it could mean that there are cracks in the standard model of cosmology, the best scientific description of the universe’s evolution. It’s a nerve-wracking time for cosmologists—is everything they thought they knew about to come crashing down?This is the first of two episodes that explore a looming crisis in cosmology. We examine what scientists understand about the evolution of the universe, and why their best model might be under pressure.Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Mark Mcculloch, Michael Brown, Rebecca Bowler and Erik Rosenberg of the University of Manchester; Nathalie Palanque-Delabrouille of DESI and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.To learn more about how physicists are searching for dark matter, listen to our episode “Babbage: The hunt for dark matter”.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Winning formula: Amandine Aftalion on the mathematics of Olympic success

Winning formula: Amandine Aftalion on the mathematics of Olympic success

At the Olympics, athletes strive for victory, compete for medals and try to smash records. Behind those Olympic champions are teams of scientists who study every aspect of a sport, looking for anything that can provide an edge over an opponent. What’s the best lane in which to run a 400m race? What’s the best angle to throw a shot put? What’s the fastest object in sport? In this episode, we uncover the hidden mathematics behind sporting success.Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor, interviews Amandine Aftalion, a professor of applied mathematics at the French National Centre of Scientific Research in Paris and the author of “Be a Champion: 40 Facts You Didn't Know About Sports and Science”.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Past lives: what can ancient DNA reveal about today’s world?

Past lives: what can ancient DNA reveal about today’s world?

In 2010, scientists achieved what had once seemed impossible: they sequenced the genome of a Neanderthal, based on tiny fragments of DNA from ancient bones. It was an astonishing feat that kicked off a new scientific discipline—palaeogenetics—and opened a new window onto the history of life on Earth. In this episode, we explore how scientists are now shedding light not only on ancient people and animals, but on some modern diseases, too. Plus: how the study of ancient DNA could be revolutionised by the recent discovery of “fossil chromosomes”, which allow scientists to peer even further into the past.Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Rory Galloway, senior podcast producer and science writer for The Economist; Pontus Skoglund, Frankie Tait, Sarah Johnston and Jérôme Nicod of the Francis Crick Institute in London; and Cynthia Perez Estrada and Erez Aiden of the Baylor College of Medicine.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

How technology can strengthen democracy: an interview with Audrey Tang

How technology can strengthen democracy: an interview with Audrey Tang

In an era of deepfakes and social media, technology is often seen as a threat to democracy. Not everywhere, though. In Taiwan, a more positive relationship between citizens and technology has paved the way for a digital democracy, which aims to encourage greater participation on how the island is run. Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s inaugural digital affairs minister, argues that the island’s system of government offers lessons for liberal democracies everywhere. Can technology and democracy be allies?Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor, interviews Audrey Tang, author of “Plurality: The Future of Collaborative Technology and Democracy”.Want to learn more about how disinformation works? Listen to our episode of Babbage “Why disinformation is more dangerous than ever”.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

No-brainer: how better nutrition can make the world smarter

No-brainer: how better nutrition can make the world smarter

Approximately 150 million children around the world are malnourished to the point of stunting. This has a serious impact not only on their height, but also on the development of their brains. Researchers have found that a poor diet and a lack of stimulation can lead to a loss of around 15 IQ points later in life. But a few cheap and simple things could easily prevent this enormous loss of global brain power.Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Tahmeed Ahmed and Tafsir Hasan of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; Sarah Cusick of the University of Minnesota; Rasa Izadnegahdar of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; The Economist’s Robert Guest and Sondre Solstad. Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

SpookGPT: spycraft in the digital age

SpookGPT: spycraft in the digital age

Spies have always relied on technology to stay one step ahead of their adversaries. In the age of ubiquitous camera surveillance, smartphones and the internet, they now have access to more data and information than ever before. But all that technology is also making other parts of their job harder—staying undercover has become more difficult. How are the tools of the spy trade—and the role of intelligence officers themselves—evolving in the digital age?Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Shashank Joshi, The Economist's defence editor; General Sir Jim Hockenhull of Britain’s Strategic Command; Vice Admiral Frank “Trey” Whitworth of America’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; Tanja Lange of Eindhoven University of Technology. Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.