Babbage from The Economist

Many people turn to the internet for medical advice. But there’s a lot of misinformation out there. To help you think through the fog, over the next two weeks we’re bringing you two conversations about health, medicine, evidence and trust in the digital age. In the first episode, we diagnose the problem: how online influencers and AI diagnoses are turning people away from evidence-based advice. Guests and hosts:Deborah Cohen, author of “Bad Influence”Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editorTopics covered:Wellness trendsHealthcare technologyArtificial intelligenceTranscripts 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.

A rare disease spreading on a cruise ship triggered memories of covid-19. But while people worried about hantavirus cases reaching their shores, a much larger outbreak of Ebola took hold in central Africa. The two outbreaks have come in the wake of a series of worrying developments for international public health agencies: America has left the World Health Organisation and the country has also gutted its spending on international aid. How should pathogenic threats be handled in this post-aid era? Guests and hosts:Slavea Chankova, The Economist’s health-care correspondentNicole Tischler of Fundación Ciencia & Vida, ChileTom Geisbert of the University of Texas Medical BranchHost: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor Topics covered:Andes hantavirusBundibugyo EbolavirusPandemic preparednessTranscripts 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.

Not long ago, AI models struggled with basic arithmetic. Now, they’re solving complex mathematical conjectures. But researchers want to go further. They think AI could help them organise the mathematical literature into a common language—thereby finding connections between hitherto-disparate fields and, perhaps, even making completely new discoveries in one of the most fundamental areas of human inquiry.Guests and hosts:Anjani Trivedi, The Economist’s global business correspondentTerence Tao of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)Patrick Shafto of America’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Maryna Viazovska of L'École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor Topics covered:MathematicsLarge language modelsAutoformalisationTranscripts 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.

What is consciousness? It’s a question scientists have been struggling to answer for decades. Author Michael Pollan has been searching for scientific evidence that could unlock the mystery. His journey extends from humans to animals and even plants. But could consciousness ever exist in machines?Guests and hosts:Michael Pollan, author of “A World Appears”Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor Topics covered:ConsciousnessSentienceNeural correlates of consciousnessTranscripts 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.

Sporting history was made at this year’s London Marathon. Sabastian Sawe became the first man to finish a competitive race in less than two hours. How are elite athletes getting so much faster? We investigate how runners are harnessing the science of physiology and the technology of shoes to increase their speed. Plus, how anybody can train for a marathon—or just get fit fast.Guests and hosts: Ainslie Johnstone, The Economist’s data and science correspondentTim Cross, senior science writer and author of the “Well Informed” newsletterHost: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editorTopics covered: London MarathonAdidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3Exercise hacksAudio and commentary taken from the BBC's live coverage of the London Marathon, April 26th 2026.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.

In the popular imagination, the Chernobyl nuclear-power plant sits in an abandoned, post-apocalyptic wasteland. In reality, the site of the world’s worst nuclear-energy disaster is a thriving experimentation ground for scientists studying the long-term impacts of radiation. This week, 40 years after the meltdown, we investigate what that laboratory has found so far. Guests and hosts: Jason Palmer, host of “The Intelligence” podcastOlena Pareniuk of the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power PlantsJim Smith of the University of PortsmouthAlok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editorTopics covered: Chernobyl nuclear disasterNuclear safetyRadiation physicsTranscripts 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.