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Editor's Picks from The Economist
A new prescription: Kathy Willis on how nature can improve your health
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Seeing, smelling and being in nature can directly improve your physical and mental health. We may know this intuitively but it is now also backed up by an emerging body of scientific research. What are the benefits of a walk in the woods? Why does the scent from certain trees enhance cancer-fighting cells in the immune system? What does birdsong have to do with pain management? And what exactly are your houseplants doing for your microbiome?
Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor, speaks to Kathy Willis, professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford and author of “Good Nature: The New Science of How Nature Improves Our Health”.
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- 08:49|A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. The benefits of human breast milk are not only for babies. Components in the liquid are being tested as treatments for cancer and other diseases.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.
Rough waters: tensions are brewing in the South China Sea
08:28|A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Tensions in the South China Sea seem worryingly close to boiling over. As China seeks to stake its claims over the region, all eyes are on America’s delicate dance with its South-East Asian allies. 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.
Democracy’s demons: how ugly will America’s election get?
07:42|A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Today, we examine how messy the US election could get as America’s voting system collides with the MAGA conspiracy machine.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.
Hot and heavy: how extreme heat affects fertility rates
05:19|A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Today, we examine new research on the relationship between extreme heat and babymaking. Could the effect of heat shocks on conception rates grow as climate change accelerates?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.
X-ed out: the battle for free speech in Brazil and beyond
04:48|A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. As Brazil bans Elon Musk’s X, our leader considers the ways in which governments around the world are clamping down on speech online. Free expression has become a culture war, and those who should defend it are staying quiet.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.
Going dark: distorted data is a grave threat to China’s economy
07:45|A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Today, our cover leader in most of the world argues that a lack of reliable information is compounding China’s economic woes.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.
Right turn: how to grapple with Germany’s hard right
06:32|A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Today, we consider the victory of the hard-right Alternative for Germany party in a German state election. The best way to deal with extremists, we argue, is to address the grievances that boost their popularity.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.
Curtain call: our Chaguan columnist bids farewell to China
16:30|A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Our Chaguan columnist’s swan song takes stock of China’s fears, ambitions and position in the world.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.
