Babbage from The Economist

Trailer: Boss Class Season 3

AI is changing how we work. It's turning us all into managers. Be a good one. The Economist’s management columnist, Andrew Palmer, takes on the bots in the third season of Boss Class. From cloning to coding, agents to entry-level jobs, he tackles the threat head on and figures out how to turn anxiety into opportunity. Along the way he meets bulls and bears and the people who can help you to master management in the age of AI. Full Season 3 out 29th January 2026. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus] 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 [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] page or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The bomb (part 1): were nuclear weapons inevitable?

Where did the world’s most devastating weapon come from? In a four-part series, we go behind the scenes at America's nuclear laboratories to understand how a scientific-mystery story about the ingredients of matter led to a world-changing (and second-world-war [https://www.economist.com/interactive/archive-1945?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=babbage&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners]-ending) bomb less than five decades later.  Nuclear weapons have been central to geopolitical power ever since. Now America is seeking to modernise its stockpile and, in doing so, its scientists are pushing the frontiers of extreme physics, materials science and computing. In episode one, we look at the birth of nuclear physics—the science that emerged early in the 20th century to answer a mystery: what is an atom actually made of? Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Frank Close, a physicist and author of “Destroyer of Worlds”, a history of the birth of nuclear physics; Cheryl Rofer, a chemist who used to work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); and Nicholas Lewis, a historian at LANL. This episode features archive from the Atomic Heritage Foundation.  Listen to episode two here [https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2025/07/23/the-bomb-part-2-the-atomic-town]. Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts [http://economist.com/podcasts]. This is a free episode. To continue listening to “The Bomb”, you’ll need to subscribe. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY]explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Herman Pontzer: what people get wrong about metabolism

Do you run, cycle or swim to lose weight? Herman Pontzer, an evolutionary anthropologist who specialises in understanding how humans use energy, thinks you’re probably wasting your time. His idea of the “exercise paradox” suggests that the amount of energy people use in a day is constrained (by evolution) and that exercising more doesn’t end up burning more calories. Figuring out why our bodies work like this is part of Prof Pontzer’s bigger project to map out and better understand how evolution has shaped variations in human biology.  Hosts: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributor: Herman Pontzer, professor of evolutionary anthropology and global health at Duke University and the author of “Burn” and “Adaptable”. Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts [http://economist.com/podcasts]. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY]explaining how to link your account.

Trailer: Boss Class Season 2

Good bosses are rare. They don’t have to be. The skills of management can be learned. The Economist’s management columnist, Andrew Palmer, is here to help. The second season of Boss Class features leaders at some of the world’s best performing companies, from Levi’s to Novo Nordisk to Google.  New episodes are out weekly starting May 12th.  To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus] 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 [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] page or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Trailer: Scam Inc

A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’s about to get bigger and much more powerful.  The Economist’s Sue-Lin Wong follows a trail that starts with the collapse of a bank in rural Kansas to uncover a global, underground scam economy built around human trafficking, corruption and money laundering. Can it be stopped? Available now. To listen to the full series subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.