Babbage from The Economist (subscriber edition)
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
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 29, 2016 • 16min
Babbage: The origins of Jupiter
This week: After five years of travel, the Juno spacecraft finally nears Jupiter. Our science correspondent, Tim Cross speaks to host Jason Palmer about its vital and dangerous mission. And, Matt Kaplan discusses how the shifty eyes of gamblers can explain how our brains process numbers.
Jun 22, 2016 • 16min
Babbage: What history might tell us about AI
Concerns abound about the impact of artificial intelligence, but could history suggest a brighter future? A new algorithm is designed to hunt down hateful videos on the Internet. And we hear from two scientists, Mauro Costa-Mattioli and Shelly Buffington, whose new study links obesity to autism. Hosted by Kenneth Cukier
Jun 15, 2016 • 14min
Babbage: Gaming goes to Hollywood
Green screens could soon be a thing of the past as studios switch to video game technology to build special effects*; and a group of scientists in Syria and Europe find a nifty way to rid of a nasty, organic pollutant^ See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mkm22yO-bs for The Jungle Book Official Trailer
Jun 8, 2016 • 16min
Babbage: The price of a private phone call
Would you spend £10,000 on a smartphone? Tom Standage and Anne McElvoy visit the world of luxurious technology. Matthew Kaplan explains how your holiday snaps can have scientific uses, and researcher Lauren Sherman reveals how teenage brains react to social media
Jun 1, 2016 • 14min
Babbage: Escaping black holes
Stephen Hawking revises his theory of black holes and argues that everything may not be lost at the "event horizon" after all. And new sensors made by inkjet printers can tell when a new layer of sunscreen is needed to prevent sunburns. Hosted by Kenneth Cukier
May 25, 2016 • 13min
Babbage: The evolution of intelligence
New technology combines 3D printing with traditional machining, and a fresh theory on how humans became so smart
May 19, 2016 • 17min
Babbage: Trending: The demise of antibiotics
We talk to Jim O’Neill about how the overconsumption of antibiotics has eroded their effectiveness and discuss whether Facebook is turning into a news publisher
May 11, 2016 • 14min
Babbage: Yellow fever - the next pandemic?
Kenneth Cukier investigates the burgeoning yellow fever outbreak in Angola. Also, astrobiologist Sanjoy Som fills us in on his research into the Earth's early atmosphere, and there's some eggstatic news for the egg industry
May 4, 2016 • 14min
Babbage: Will your surgeon be a robot?
Surgical operations become more akin to driverless cars. And users try out IBM's quantum computer
Apr 28, 2016 • 16min
Babbage: The legacy of Chernobyl
We discuss the political and scientific impact of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on its 30th anniversary, and a new way to protect cells from many different kinds of virus
