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
Feb 10, 2016 • 12min
Babbage: Slimy, underwater light-eaters
This week we look at how selectively bred coral-dwelling algae might survive warmer waters and at how bacteria bend light to direct their tiny bodies toward the sun
Feb 3, 2016 • 13min
Babbage: Frosty organs and doped-up horses
A charity in America rallies transplant-organ preservation scientists, and researchers in Hong Kong think they've found a way to detect doping in racehorses
Jan 27, 2016 • 13min
Babbage: Schizophrenic genes
Scientists identify the genes that are driving schizophrenia and as touchscreens become more responsive, imaginative new uses may emerge
Jan 20, 2016 • 13min
Babbage: Viruses and Facebook friends
A mosquito-borne virus is linked to a worrying number of birth defects in Brazil and has social media expanded the number of friendships we can maintain?
Jan 13, 2016 • 13min
Babbage: The pollution solution
How big data can help tackle air pollution and a bright idea makes for a better light bulb
Jan 6, 2016 • 11min
Babbage: Blackholes and hoverboards
Scientists are learning more than ever about black holes as astronomical objects and an American firm brings a real McFly hoverboard to market
Dec 30, 2015 • 14min
Babbage: The ghosts of Babbage future
In our second holiday special, our hosts look back from 2115. Pluto’s portraits may be humdrum by then, but AI, gene editing and quantum computing may have changed the world
Dec 23, 2015 • 12min
Babbage: The ghost of Babbage past
In the first of two holiday specials, our hosts look at the stories of a century ago, from X-ray crystallography to sonar, continental drift and the first sighting of Pluto
Dec 16, 2015 • 18min
Babbage: Climate of change
A look at last week’s climate talks in Paris: what was agreed on, how realistic the goals are and whether there is reason to be optimistic
Dec 9, 2015 • 12min
Babbage: A bit of peace, round the corner
The end of bitcoin’s civil war and a look at new technology that can be used to see round corners
