The weekend’s biggest discussion topics, with Georgina Godwin. A look at the day’s papers and what we learned this week. Plus: author Mohsin Zaidi and World Book Night.
Tag Archives: Podcasts
Morning News Podcast: Myanmar Coup Protests, Cuba Castro Era Fades
Protests against February’s military coup are only growing, even as the army becomes more murderous. The economy is paralysed. What can be done to put the country back together?
In Cuba, the end of the Castro-family era is nigh; a new leader inherits a cratered economy and an ambitious vaccine-development effort. And some surprising road-fatality statistics from America.
Science Podcast: Muon Magnetism, The Counting Of All Tyranosaurus Rex
Host Sarah Crespi talks with Staff Writer Adrian Cho about a new measurement of the magnetism of the muon—an unstable cousin of the electron. This latest measurement and an earlier one both differ from predictions based on the standard model of particle physics. The increased certainty that there is a muon magnetism mismatch could be a field day for theoretical physicists looking to add new particles or forces to the standard model.
Also on this week’s show, Charles Marshall, director of the University of California Museum of Paleontology and professor of integrative biology, joins Sarah to talk about his team’s calculation for the total number of Tyrannosaurus rex that ever lived. In a sponsored segment from the Science/AAAS Custom Publishing Office, Sean Sanders interviews Imre Berger, professor of biochemistry at the University of Bristol, about his Science paper on finding a druggable pocket on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and how the work was accelerated by intensive cloud computing. This segment is sponsored by Oracle for Research.
Morning News Podcast: U.S. Housing Market, Russia Sanctions & Luxury Goods
A.M. Edition for April 15. WSJ’s Konrad Putzier discusses global investment in the U.S. housing market. WSJ’s Anna Hirtenstein on the growth of luxury goods.
The Biden administration is set to punish Russia. Efforts to make band practice safe in the pandemic. Marc Stewart hosts.
Science Podcast: Rural U.S. Sanitation Crisis, Manta Rays & Magnetic Muons
The lack of adequate sanitation in parts of the rural US, and physicists reassess muons’ magnetism.
In this episode:
00:45 How failing sanitation infrastructure is causing a US public health crisis
In the US, huge numbers of people live without access to adequate sanitation. Environmental-health advocate Catherine Coleman Flowers tells us about her new book looking at the roots and consequences of this crisis, focusing on Lowndes County, Alabama, an area inhabited largely by poor Black people, where an estimated 90% of households have failing or inadequate waste-water systems.
Book review: Toilets – what will it take to fix them?
07:56 Research Highlights
Why adding new members to the team can spark ideas, and how manta rays remember the best spots for pampering.
Research Highlight: Want fresh results? Analysis of thousands of papers suggests trying new teammates
Research Highlight: What manta rays remember: the best spots to get spruced up
10:13 Reassessing muons’ magnetic moment
A decade ago, physicists measured the ‘magnetic moment’ of the subatomic muon, and found their value did not match what theory suggested. This puzzled researchers, and hinted at the existence of new physics. Now, a team has used a different method to recalculate the theoretical result and see if this discrepancy remains.
Research Article: Fodor et al.
Morning News Podcast: Russia’s Military Buildup, U.S. INflation & Flying Taxis
The troops and hardware piling up at the border are probably just posturing. But look closely: Russia’s military is swiftly getting better-equipped and better-trained.
Outsized inflation numbers in America are partly a statistical quirk—but also a sign of the tricky balance pandemic-era policymakers must navigate. And why you may soon be getting a lift from a flying taxi.
Design: A Tour Of Top Artisans In Portugal
We unearth the country’s burgeoning design industry. From a ceramics studio in Lisbon to a nautical-inspired clothing brand in Porto, we meet the creatives putting the country on the map.
A walking tour
Gaia Lutz meets woodworker Ricardo Jerónimo of Rival at his Lisbon workshop, and the duo behind ceramic studio Sedimento. Plus: furniture-maker Miguel Saboya.
Hugo Passos
The designer reflects on how attitudes in manufacturing have shifted now that many international companies produce goods in Portugal.
La Paz
We catch up with Jose Miguel de Abreu, co-founder of Porto’s nautical-inspired fashion brand La Paz, to discuss the benefits of basing his business in the city.
Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance
The founder of design studio Made In Situ discusses recent projects and how he is inspired by the landscape and the artisans he collaborates with.
Morning News Podcast: Minneapolis Protests, Iran Nuclear Site Explosion
More protests in Minneapolis as details emerge about the killing of yet another black man by a police officer. Iran is promising revenge for an explosion at one of it’s largest nuclear facilities, threatening the future of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as talks resume.
And, Russia is building up its military presence along the Ukrainian border stoking fears of another invasion.
Morning News Podcast: German Politics, Prince Philip & Kenyan Coffee
As the country wrestles with another covid-19 wave, the battle to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel is building. We look at the political and epidemiological races.
Prince Philip was a loyal consort to Britain’s queen for seven decades; our correspondent recalls meeting him at a difficult time for the family. And why Kenyans are at last indulging in their own coffee.
Global News: A Worker’s World, Amazon Effect On Sports, Japanese Poetry
A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, riding high in a workers’ world, the Amazon effect on live sport (9:45) and even transience is mutating (17:35).
