Georgina Godwin sets the tone for the weekend. Simon Brooke reviews the day’s international newspapers; Monocle’s editor in chief Andrew Tuck is back with his weekend column; and Andrew Mueller rounds up the past week for us.
Category Archives: Podcasts
Morning News: Ukraine-Russia Tensions, Marine Le Pen Campaign, ‘Flee’ Film
As Russia ratchets up tensions in Ukraine, we discuss Moscow’s joint military drills with Belarus. Plus: Marine Le Pen’s campaign to become France’s president and an interview with the director of the Oscar-nominated film, ‘Flee’.
Morning News: Elections In India, Selling Oil & Gas Assets, Democracy Index
The state-legislature poll in Uttar Pradesh is in effect a vote on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s increasingly stringent Hindu-national agenda—and will hint at his party’s chances in 2024.
Oil majors are getting points for selling off their dirtiest oil-and-gas operations; we ask who is buying them. And which countries are up and which are down in our annual Democracy Index.
Science: RNA Test Detects Pre-Eclampsia, Machine Vision, Recycling Urine
RNA in blood reveals signs of pre-eclampsia before symptoms occur, and the issue of urine in our sewage and what can be done about it.
In this episode:
00:46 Predicting pre-eclampsia
Cell-free RNA circulates in the blood and can give clues as to what is going on in the body. This can be used to detect disease before symptoms occur. Now researchers have analysed cell-free RNA in pregnant people and have found it can give early warning signs of a serious, and sometimes fatal, disorder of pregnancy — pre-eclampsia.
Research Article: Moufarrej et al.
07:19 Research Highlights
Upgrading machine vision by modelling it on human eyes, and stacked skeletons which could show attempts at repair after European tomb raiders.
Research Highlight: Retina-like sensors give machines better vision
Research Highlight: ‘Spines on posts’ hint at ancient devotion to the dead
09:55 The problems of pee
Sewage and the way it is managed can cause serious problems, for example contaminants in waste can lead to harmful algal blooms. One of the major causes of this is urine, and so some researchers have been promoting a deceptively simple solution — separate out the urine.
News Feature: The urine revolution: how recycling pee could help to save the world
Book Review: Toilets – what will it take to fix them?
16:40 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how China has planned to make this year’s Winter Olympics carbon neutral, and how a new radio telescope in Namibia will help us understand black holes.
Nature News: China’s Winter Olympics are carbon-neutral — how?
Nature News:
Morning News: Australia & U.S. Meeting, Hong Kong Zero-Covid Policy, Oscars
We discuss US secretary of state Antony Blinken’s trip to Australia and weigh up Hong Kong’s zero-Covid policy. Plus: the latest business news and a run-down of the Oscar nominations.
Morning News: Germany’s New Foreign Diplomacy, Philippine Election, Iran
Germany’s Annalena Baerbock heads to Ukraine and election campaigning begins in the Philippines. Plus: can progress be made as Iran nuclear talks resume?
Morning News: Nuclear Talks In Iran, Sanctions On Bangladesh, Aging Japan
After protracted negotiations, at last a conclusion appears nigh—but depending on whom you ask, a breakthrough is as likely as a breakdown.
The regime in Bangladesh has been growing more brutal, yet some American sanctions seem to have had a swift and surprising effect. And Japan focuses on healthier, happier sunset years.
Prescription Drugs: What Is The Right Price? (NEJM)
Why can’t the U.S. control prescription drug pricing as they do in the U.K., where per-capita spending is less than half our level?
In a capitalist democracy, many parties — the drug companies, medical associations, consumer groups — get to lobby their points of view. Is the problem intractable, or just an exercise in chaos?
Our three guests have written a book about the problem, “The Right Price: A value-based prescription for drug costs.” And although they don’t have a definitive answer, they do offer recommendations, interesting observations, and a way forward.
Sunday Morning: News And Stories From London, Kyiv, St. Moritz & Bangkok
Monocle’s Emma Nelson and panellists cover the weekend’s defining stories, with check-ins from our editors and correspondents in Kyiv and Bangkok. Plus: Tyler Brûlé on the stories making headlines in continental Europe.
Science: Extreme Old Age Gene Quest, Gravitational ‘Glint’ Waves, Early Springs
The team explores a theory that suggests gravitational waves may be the thing that finally helps us detect dark matter – we just need to look for the ‘gravitational glint’.
Spring is rolling around earlier and earlier. The team examines a new study which shows that since the 1980s, the warming climate has brought the season forward by a month – which could have major ecological implications. They also discuss a study which looks at the impact of marine heatwaves on things like coral and fish populations.
Boomers Daily 