Babbage from The Economist (subscriber edition)

Tim Cross, a Senior science writer at The Economist, dives into the world of strength training. He explains why lifting weights is crucial for longevity and overall health, especially as we age. The discussion emphasizes the importance of protein in muscle growth and optimal nutrition. Cross also uncovers the benefits of creatine, showcasing its positive effects on athletic performance and cognitive function while reassuring listeners about its safety. Get ready to rethink your fitness routine and discover the real secrets to staying strong!

Neutrinos are elementary particles that are extremely light and rarely interact with anything else. Mostly, they pass invisibly through the universe—hundreds of trillions of neutrinos will have passed through your body as you read this. For physicists, though, these ghostly particles present a big problem. The prevailing theory of particle physics, the Standard Model, predicts that neutrinos should have no mass—but this is not what physicists observe in the real world. Now, scientists at JUNO, an enormous new lab in China, have started to hunt for the elusive particles and, in doing so, they hope to solve this giant conundrum in fundamental physics.Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor, with Emilie Steinmark, The Economist’s science correspondent. Contributors: Juan Pedro Ochoa-Ricoux of the University of California, Irvine; Wang Yifang and Yuekun Heng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.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.

Jonathan Nash, a professor of oceanography at Oregon State University, shares insights on critical climate tipping points. He discusses the potential for rapid and irreversible changes, like the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and the transformation of North Africa into arid desert. Nash emphasizes the urgency of understanding these shifts, particularly how human-induced greenhouse gases drive them. The conversation highlights the significance of ice cores from Antarctica in revealing our climate history and the need for better prediction models to navigate future uncertainties.

How long you live may be shaped less by your gym routine or diet plan than by the systems that surround you, from clean air and water to safe streets and accessible healthcare. In this episode, Devi Sridhar, a professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, argues that governments—not individuals—hold the greatest power to extend lives. She explains what people can learn from long-lived communities in Japan and Europe, how to curb the harms of ultra-processed food, the role of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, and how tackling inequality could help everyone live healthier into old age.Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor, speaks with Devi Sridhar, the author of “How Not to Die (Too Soon)”.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.

More than six months on from DeepSeek’s breakthrough, how much has China’s AI ecosystem evolved? As it turns out, quite a bit. In an extended interview with Alex Hern, The Economist’s AI writer, we examine the major players in China, their models and how Chinese AI stacks up against its Western rivals. Now that the White House has lifted restrictions on the export of high-end chips to China, how might the battle for AI supremacy unfold?Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor, speaks with our AI writer Alex Hern.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 is a new era of great-power rivalry affecting America’s nuclear security enterprise? Three national laboratories are tasked with keeping America’s warheads safe, modernising them and even building new ones. And, unlike during the cold war, they have to do it all without conducting explosive tests. With political tensions on the rise around the world, the labs’ mission has become more important than ever. This week, we investigate how the directors of the three labs are meeting this new moment.“The Bomb” is a four-part series which traces the scientific story of nuclear weapons. We go behind the scenes at America's nuclear-weapons laboratories to find out how the country is pushing the frontiers of extreme physics, materials science and computing to modernise its stockpile. In episode four, we ask the people who manage the bombs what it’s like to be responsible for such terrible and devastating weapons.Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Thom Mason of the Los Alamos National Laboratory; Kim Budil of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; and Laura McGill of Sandia National Laboratories. Thanks also to Jennifer Hayden of America’s National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.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.

Kim Budil, Director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Brad Wallin, Deputy Director, delve into modern nuclear weapons maintenance and design without explosive tests. They discuss the innovative National Ignition Facility, where sophisticated laser systems simulate nuclear fusion conditions. The conversation highlights how advanced simulations are replacing traditional tests, the evolution of compact warheads, and groundbreaking developments in materials science and 3D printing technologies, all crucial for a safer nuclear stockpile.

How did the atom bombs of the Manhattan Project become the nuclear stockpile of today? At the heart of America’s nuclear security enterprise lies a town: Los Alamos. It is where the first nuclear bomb was created. Today its national lab is tasked with designing and building America’s first new warhead in decades.This four-part series traces the scientific story of nuclear weapons. We go behind the scenes at America's nuclear-weapons laboratories to find out how the country is pushing the frontiers of extreme physics, materials science and computing to modernise its stockpile.In episode two, we look at the town that built the first nuclear bomb—and how the race to build better, more powerful nuclear weapons ended up building the town. Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Kristen Hollis and Todd Nickols of the Los Alamos Historical Society; Nic Lewis and Thom Mason of the Los Alamos National Laboratory; Ellen Bradbury Reid and Jim Bradbury, who grew up in Los Alamos.Listen to episode three 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.

Frank Close, a physicist and author of "Destroyer of Worlds," dives into the origins of nuclear weapons, tracing their birth from early 20th-century scientific breakthroughs. He discusses pivotal discoveries in atomic theory, including the roles of Marie Curie and Ernest Rutherford. The conversation highlights the collaborative efforts behind the atomic bomb during World War II and the ethical concerns surrounding its development. Close also touches on modern implications for nuclear deterrence and the evolution of facilities like Los Alamos.

Proteins are the molecular machines that make life work. Each one in your body has a specific task—some become muscles, bones and skin. Others carry oxygen in the blood or get used as hormones or antibodies. Yet more become enzymes, helping to catalyse chemical reactions inside our bodies. Given proteins can do so many things, what if scientists could design bespoke versions to order? Novel proteins, never seen before in nature, could make biofuels, say, or clean up pollution or create new ways to harvest power from sunlight. David Baker, a biochemist and recent Nobel laureate in chemistry, has been working on that challenge since the 1980s. Now, powered by artificial intelligence and inspired by living cells, he is leading scientists around the world in inventing a whole new molecular world. Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: David Baker of the University of Washington; and The Economist’s 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.