Case numbers are on the rise—at a more worrying rate even than the first wave. We ask why, and what is being done to slow the spread. As revenues at wildlife-tourism spots have dried up, so has security—and now poaching is even more rampant than before.
And scientists’ increasingly audacious bids to see around corners. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
Laser-cooled antimatter opens up new physics experiments, and the staggering economic cost of invasive species.
In this episode:
00:44 Cooling antimatter with a laser focus
Antimatter is annihilated whenever it interacts with regular matter, which makes it tough for physicists to investigate. Now though, a team at CERN have developed a way to trap and cool antihydrogen atoms using lasers, allowing them to better study its properties.
Research Article: Baker et al.
News and Views: Antimatter cooled by laser light
09:27 Research Highlights
A dramatic increase in Arctic lightning strikes, and an acrobatic bunny helps researchers understand hopping.
Research Highlight: Rising temperatures spark boom in Arctic lightning
Research Highlight: Rabbits that do ‘handstands’ help to find a gene for hopping
11:53 Cost of invasion
Invasive alien species are organisms that end up in places where they don’t really belong, usually as a result of human activity. These species can cause loss of biodiversity and a host of damage to their new environments. This week, researchers estimate that the economic impact of invasive species to be over US $1 trillion.
Research Article: Diagne et al.
19:04 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the physics that might explain how a ship blocked the Suez Canal, and a new insight into octopuses’ sleep patterns.
The Financial Times: The bank effect and the big boat blocking the Suez
We discuss the UN’s report into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and hear about a new comprehensive agreement signed between Beijing and Tehran.
Plus: we head to Iceland as the countdown to Eurovision begins.
Western fashion brands are in Chinese consumers’ crosshairs, the victims of political wranglings over sanctions and human-rights issues—a spat that may soon consume other industries.
A striking number of people in the criminal-justice system have had traumatic brain injuries; our correspondent investigates how much that link has been overlooked. And why the audio app Clubhouse has stormed the Middle East.
The trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd begins today in Minneapolis.
The massive cargo ship that’s been stuck in Egypt’s Suez Canal is finally moving. And, Gun control activists want the Biden administration to make the issue a priority.
A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week: science after the pandemic, Rwanda: paragon or prison? (9:10) And Herbie goes electric (33:55)
The weekend’s biggest discussion topics with Monocle’s Tyler Brûlé, Andrew Tuck, Gillian Dobias, Cornelia Meyer and Urs Bühler.
We also check the headlines in Bangkok and find out which titles have been flying off shelves at Lisbon’s Under The Cover book and magazine shop.
Georgina Godwin sets the tone for the weekend with our editor in chief Andrew Tuck’s weekend column, fresh newspapers and a look at what we learned this week.
We unpack Joe Biden’s first official news conference and hear about how sanctions are impacting relations between France and China.
Plus: the latest climate and energy news and a checkup on music industry sales. From Milan: Salone highlights, interviews and a daily running guide.
Most research on aging has been done on model organisms with limited life spans, such as flies and worms. Host Meagan Cantwell talks to science writer Yao-Hua Law about how long-living social insects—some of which survive for up to 30 years—can provide new insights into aging.
Also in this episode, host Sarah Crespi talks with Noshir Contractor, the Jane S. & William J. White Professor of Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University, about his AAAS session on keeping humans in harmony during long space missions and how mock missions on Earth are being applied to plans for a crewed mission to Mars.
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