Prices are up all over, especially in America. But whether the world’s largest economy is part of the problem or just suffering the same symptoms will determine how to fix it.
Autocratic leaders of middling-sized countries are having a field day as America has relinquished its world-policeman role. And what makes some languages fail to develop a word for blue?
We discuss US intelligence reports suggesting that Russia could be preparing to invade Ukraine. Plus, why the UK is extending a G7 invite to Asean members, and the modernisation of Finnish postal service Posti.
A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week: a new era of big government, the revival of far-right ideas in France (10:34) and our Bartleby column on the business phrasebook (19:04).
Monocle’s editorial director Tyler Brûlé and panellists Juliet Linley, Rob Cox, Solène Léger and Mark Dittli round up the weekend’s most interesting discussion topics at our Zürich studio.
Could wildfires be depleting the ozone all over again? Staff Writer Paul Voosen talks with host Sarah Crespi about the evidence from the Polarstern research ship for wildfire smoke lofting itself high into the stratosphere, and how it can affect the ozone layer once it gets there.
Next, we talk ticks—the ones that bite, take blood, and can leave you with a nasty infection. Andaleeb Sajid, a staff scientist at the National Cancer Institute, joins Sarah to talk about her Science Translational Medicine paper describing an mRNA vaccine intended to reduce the length of tick bites to before the pests can transmit diseases to a host.
Can UK prime minister Boris Johnson survive accusations of corruption and sleaze? Also in the programme: India’s fight against deadly pollution in Delhi and the week’s film-industry news.
Spineless sea squirts shed light on vertebrate evolution, and an iodine-fuelled engine powering a satellite in space.
In this episode:
00:45 A story of sea squirts, ancient vertebrates and missing genes
When a PhD student set out to study the developmental pathways of a strange sea creature, he hoped to shed light on the origins of vertebrate animals. Instead, researchers found themselves investigating a strange case of missing genes. We hear why gene loss could be a more significant factor in evolutionary processes than was previously thought.
Research article: Ferrández-Roldán et al.
08:17 Research Highlights
The unusual crystal that gives a beetle its glittering green sheen, and the genetics of a fish’s 200 year lifespan.
Research Highlight: Weird crystal makes beetle a living jewel
Research Highlight: Some of Earth’s longest-lived fish show how to reach extreme ages
10:43 An iodine-fuelled engine for satellites
In space, many satellites use xenon-fuelled ‘electric propulsion systems’ to maneuver. However, xenon is rare and requires high-pressure storage systems, so researchers have been working to develop alternative fuels. This week, a team publish details of the first in-space test of an iodine-powered electric propulsion system, which they say has many advantages over xenon systems.
Research article: Rafalskyi et al
16:37 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, issues aboard the Hubble Space Telescope, and what the discovery of a theorised mineral reveals about processes deep within the Earth.
Wired: NASA Tries to Save Hubble, Again
Nature: Diamond delivers long-sought mineral from the deep Earth
The meeting between superpower presidents was cordial and careful, but it will take far more than a video call to smooth such frosty relations.
Europe once had an enviable international rail network—one it must revive if the bloc is to meet its climate targets. And the costly and sometimes dangerous lengths South Koreans are going to for flattering photographs.
A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, the consequences of Russia’s new era of repression, why too many are still denied the right to die assisted dying (09:19) and why Turkey is deporting refugees for eating bananas (17:09).
Watch The Economist’s new documentary film, “Fearless: the women fighting Putin”
Monocle’s editorial director, Tyler Brûlé, and panellists Juliet Linley and Christoph Lenz discuss the weekend’s biggest news. Plus: we check in with our friends and correspondents in London and Ljubljana.
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