The Inquiry

Lawmakers in the US explore evidence of extra-terrestrial life, including Tic Tac videos of mysterious objects. They discuss the historical perspective of the UFO phenomenon and the influence of the Cold War and popular culture. Investigative reporter Leslie Kean sheds light on a secret government program studying UFOs. The revelation of the program retrieving non-human materials highlights the importance of scientific investigations. The role of science in studying UFOs is discussed, along with advancements in telescopes and the ethical considerations of detecting extraterrestrial life.

The podcast explores the effectiveness of remote working, cultural differences in attitudes towards remote work, legal considerations and regulations regarding remote working, challenges faced while working from home, the importance of mental health, and the potential of hybrid work environments.

The podcast explores whether Brazil's indigenous population can save the Amazon. It discusses the threats faced by indigenous populations, including exploitation and land invasion. The episode also delves into the Amazon's role in climate change mitigation and the challenges faced in reclaiming indigenous land rights. It highlights the impact of outside influence on the traditional way of life of the Huni Quinn people.

Environmental activists in the UK have disrupted high profile sporting events in an effort to persuade the government to stop oil development. How would stopping oil production impact those countries around the world with economies dependent on oil? Tanya Beckett explores the history of oil, the implications of the Ukraine war for its price, how countries like Nigeria and Norway are dependent on oil revenues, and the challenges facing new oil producers in the global south as they face international efforts to limit new oil development in order to meet international climate targets.Presenter Tanya Beckett Producer Phil Reevell Researcher Matt Toulson Editor Tara McDermott Technical producer Gareth Jones(Industrial offshore oil rig platform on the North Seacoast, UK. Credit Getty images)

South Africa once had the most abundant and cheap electricity on the continent. Now, it is experiencing power blackouts. It’s called loadshedding, the process by which the power company Eskom occasionally reduces the demand for electricity on the national grid.For many South Africans this means no electricity for up to ten hours a day, almost every day. The result is disruption to everyday life, impacting on work, education, sanitation, food and heating. In 1994 Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress party promised a better life for all South Africans. So why is South Africa’s infrastructure crumbling?Contributors: Duma Qgubule, economist and journalist Thomas Mnguni, campaigner with Groundwork Anton Eberhard, professor at the Power Futures Lab at the University of Cape Town Lungile Mashele, energy economistPresented by Audrey Brown Produced by Louise Clarke Researched by Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty Edited by Tara McDermott and Tom Bigwood Technical producer Kelly Young Production co-ordinator Brenda Brown(Dressmaker Faieza Caswell sews under candlelight at her workplace in Cape Flats, South Africa. Credit: Esa Alexander/Reuters)

In June 2023 the British government announced a £40 million pound pilot scheme to increase access to specialist weight management services in England -It reads “Using the latest drugs to support people to lose weight will be a game-changer.”The scheme will use prescription drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, a once weekly injection that slows down the emptying of the stomach and suppresses the hunger hormone in our brains. Both these medications are made of the same of the same drug called Semaglutide.Semaglutide mimics the hormone released by the body when we eat food, helping people feel fuller for longer and suppressing mental chatter about various food cravings. When prescribed alongside diet, physical exercise and behavioural support, the drug can help obese people lose 15% of their body weight.Ozempic has been used to treat sufferers of type 2 diabetes since 2018 when doctors noticed that alongside increasing insulin the drug helped people lose weight. In 2021 the drug was approved as a fat loss injection under the name Wegovy.Since then, stories of the 'fat loss wonder drug' have lit up social media, rumours are rife about who might be using it in Hollywood and international demand has skyrocketed.But it's not meant for shedding a few pounds to fit into your favourite frock. So this week were asking are weight loss drugs the answer to obesity?Contributors: Dr Disha Narang Director of obesity medicine at Northwestern Wake Forest Hospital Adrian Van den Hoven Director General of Medicines for Europe Dr Jena Tronieri Director of Clinical Services at its Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at the Perelman School of Medicine Josh Jordy CEO of Eracal Therapeutics a biotech company based in Switzerland.Presenter Charmaine Cozier Producer Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty Editor Tara McDermott Researched by Bisi Adebayo Mixed by Cameron Ward Production Co-ordinator Brenda Brown(Overweight person on scales./Credit: Peter Dazely/Getty images)

Venezuela is the country with the largest oil deposits, yet 3 in every 4 Venezuelan lives in extreme poverty. More than 7 million people are recorded as having left the country since 2015 in search of a better life, causing the largest ever displacement of people in Latin American history. And it’s only surpassed in numbers by those people leaving Ukraine. But Venezuela is not at war, its current humanitarian crisis is the result of years of political and economic turbulence. International sanctions, imposed on the country with the aim of pressing the government to change its policies and restore democracy have had little impact, other than making it more difficult for Venezuela’s economy to function. Presidential elections are due to be held in the country next year, but talks between the government and the opposition to ensure that they are free and fair are currently at a standstill. This week on The Inquiry we’re asking ‘Is Venezuela a failed state?’Contributors: Maria Gabriela Trompetero, Migration Researcher, Bielefeld University, Germany Alejandro Velasco, Associate Professor of History, New York University, author of ‘Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Politics and the Making of Modern Venezuela’ Dr. Luisa Palacios, Senior Research Scholar, Centre on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University Mariano de Alba, Senior Adviser, International Crisis Group. Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Matt Toulson Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Kelly Young Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown (Oil spills over a hand and river in Venezuela. Credit: John Harper/Getty Images)

Canada is in the grip of the worst wildfires in recorded history. Blazes are devouring millions of acres of forest, forcing more than a hundred thousand people from their homes. Toxic smoke has blanketed cities across North America. Why are wildfires getting more frequent and intense across the world?Part of the reason is climate change, but part of it is also population growth and land management. The question is, what should we do about it? How can we stop wildfires?Contributors: Mike Norton, Director General of the Canadian Forest Service Liz Goldman, World Resources Institute Jon Keeley, senior research scientist with the US Geological Survey and adjunct professor at the University of California Matt Oakley, fire investigation officer and wildfire officer, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Presented by Tanya Beckett Produced by Louise Clarke Researched by Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty Edited by Tara McDermott Mixed by Kelly Young Production Co-ordinator Brenda Brown(Wildfires at Lebel-sur-Quevillon in Quebec, Canada June 23 2023. Credit: Frederic Chouinard/Getty Images)

Following the Wagner mutiny in Russia, and with fighting intensifying as Ukraine presses on with its counter-offensive, there’s concern about increasing instability around potential use of nuclear weapons. President Putin has threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Gary O’Donoghue asks how likely this is, and if the nuclear threat level is rising across the world. Are countries around the world looking at what is happening in Ukraine and adjusting their nuclear thinking? As China seeks to increase its own nuclear arsenal, experts are talking increasingly of Tripolar nuclear competition, taking in Russia and the US. In this uncertain world, what role - if any - is there for nuclear non-proliferation treaties and how can the nuclear threat be contained ?Contributors Nikolai N Sokov: The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Robert Litwak: Director of international security studies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Henrik Hiim: Associate Professor, the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies Rose Gottemoeller: former Deputy secretary general of NATO, now at Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International StudiesPresenter: Gary O’Donoghue Producer: Phil Reevell Researcher: Anoushka Mutanda -Dougherty Editor: Tara McDermott Technical producer: Nicky Edwards(Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launched during exercises on October 26, 2022. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry via Reuters)

The medieval city of Venice is situated in the heart of a lagoon on the coast of northeast Italy. It was built on a large area of low-lying marshland. A system of wooden poles driven into the soft mud created an underwater forest. It still forms the foundations of the city we see today. For centuries the City has had to battle with ‘aqua alta’ or high tides from the Adriatic sea. And the gradual combination of water erosion and rising sea levels means the City is now facing a more urgent battle to stay afloat.In recent years a series of barriers which sit on the sea floor and which are raised when an ‘aqua alta’ is expected have been successful in keeping the majority of the city dry. But its already been acknowledged that the Mose Barrier, as it’s known, is not a permanent solution for the future. An idea designed to complement the Mose Barrier, one which was suggested more than a decade ago, is to inject seawater into wells underneath the city. The scientists behind the project are confident that if it were to be adopted, it would provide a uniform uplift to the city without causing any structural issues to the buildings.This week on the Inquiry we’re asking ‘Can seawater save Venice from flooding?’Contributors: Prof Claire Judde de Lariviere, Medieval Historian, University of Toulouse Hermes Redi, Director General of the Consorzio Venezia Nuova (responsible for the Mose Barrier) Professor Pietro Teatini, University of Padua, Chair of UNESCO International Initiative on Land Subsidence Prof Carlo Ratti, MIT, Co-Chair at the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cities. Presenter: David Baker Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Bisi Adebayo Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown(The Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. Woman standing in flood water. Credit: Getty Images)