Translation is tricky business—not least when your subject belongs to a different species. But as evidence mounts that many animals are capable of rich, complex communication, scientists are trying to bridge the inter-species gap. Already, artificial intelligence has proved a valuable tool. But one ambitious technologist is trying to take these models even further. Could his new initiative one day allow humans to speak to their fellow animals? And what else might people learn in the process?Host: Kenneth Cukier, The Economist’s deputy executive editor. Contributors: Denise Herzing, founder of the Wild Dolphin Project; Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Earth Species Project, 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.

Join Robert Berwick, a computational linguist from MIT, Federico Rossano, a cognitive science expert at UC San Diego, and Abby Bertics, a researcher specializing in non-human intelligence. They dive into the fascinating world of animal communication, comparing it to human language. The conversation explores whether animals possess their own languages and challenges our understanding of communication across species. Discover how AI could help decode these complex signals, reshaping our view of intelligence in the animal kingdom.

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+.

Yann LeCun, Chief AI Scientist at Meta and a professor at NYU, is a luminary in machine learning. He discusses the groundbreaking R1 AI model by DeepSeek and its role in reshaping technology. LeCun advocates for rethinking AI beyond conventional language models, emphasizing the need for architectures that enhance reasoning and memory. He highlights the critical nature of open-source projects in fostering innovation, while also contemplating the balance of AI's potential benefits against its inherent risks and limitations.

In this engaging discussion, former professional volleyball player Abby Bertics, sports data analyst James Tozer, and Google DeepMind's Petar Veličković delve into the transformative impact of AI on sports. They explore how AI is revolutionizing strategies in basketball and soccer, enhancing player recruitment and game tactics. The guests share insights on predicting injuries, analyzing player interactions using graph neural networks, and the challenges AI faces in capturing the complexities of human performance on the field.

In this engaging discussion, Kate Olmstead, a woman with Down syndrome, shares her firsthand experience with the emotional complexities of living with Alzheimer's disease. Joining her is John Hardy, a renowned neuroscientist who sheds light on the amyloid hypothesis and its connection to chromosome 21. They tackle the urgent need for inclusive clinical trials and improved treatment access for individuals with Down syndrome. The conversation explores the intertwined futures of these two conditions and highlights the potential for scientific breakthroughs through better representation in research.

Gary Marcus, a cognitive science professor emeritus and author of "Taming Silicon Valley," offers a critical view on AI's trajectory towards 2025. He highlights the glaring limitations of large language models in reasoning and reliability. Emphasizing the need for diverse scientific approaches, Marcus argues against the narrow focus on deep learning, advocating for a fusion of symbolic AI and neural networks. He also warns about the urgent need for effective AI regulation to prevent risks like misinformation and discrimination in hiring.

It wouldn’t be January without new year’s resolutions. Pledges to get in shape or cut back on vices are often guided by a plethora of wellness trends doing the rounds on social media and elsewhere. But what does science have to say about all those good intentions you might have?This week, we examine the evidence behind three popular ideas: does intermittent fasting work? Will melatonin fight your post-holiday jet lag? And can you breathe your stress away?Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: The Economist’s science correspondents Tim Cross, Emilie Steinmark and Ainslie Johnstone.For more guides to health and wellness like these, check out “Well informed”, a new weekly series in The Economist’s science and technology section.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.

Bacteriophages, or “phages”, are viruses that can infect bacteria. With the number of bacteria that can evade antibiotics growing worryingly large, interest in using phages as therapies against drug-resistant infections has been rising. As we reported in 2023, phages have been used in Georgia for over a century, but they’re not approved for use in most other countries. Now, more than a year later, we’re asking: what would it take to bring a phage-therapy revolution to the rest of the world?In this episode, The Economist’s Gilead Amit travels to the University of Leicester’s Centre for Bacteriophage Research in Britain to meet co-directors Martha Clokie and Andy Millard. We also revisit Gilead’s 2023 trip to the Eliava Institute in Georgia, where he met Mzia Kutateladze and her team, as well as Barry Rud, a patient at the institute. Are phages finally about to get the attention they deserve?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.

Join Alex Hern, The Economist's AI correspondent, and Mati Staniszewski, co-founder of ElevenLabs, as they unravel the voice AI revolution. They discuss the significant advancements in voice technology, including the emotional nuances and contextual understanding of AI-generated voices. Hear heartwarming stories of using voice cloning to connect with lost loved ones and the ethical implications of these innovations. They also explore potential risks tied to voice cloning and envision a future where AI enhances everyday interactions and communication.