U.S. COVID-19 cases cross 11 million as pandemic intensifies, 4 astronauts make history as SpaceX’s ‘Resilience’ launches for International Space Station, and Pennsylvania group delivers thousands of cookies to frontline workers during pandemic.
A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, Suddenly, hope: covid-19 vaccines, The world and Joe Biden: Great Expectations (09:25) And, how Princess Diana shaped British politics (14:05).
One of Norway’s most exciting new travel writers, Erika Fatland has gained a reputation for telling unique, often overlooked stories. A social anthropologist by training, she has documented terrorism in Beslan and the 2011 terror attacks in her native Norway.
In her latest book, ‘The Border: A Journey Around Russia,’ she turns her attention to frontiers, recounting a fascinating trip through each of the 14 countries bordering the world’s largest country.
A round-up of the weekend’s most interesting discussion topics with Monocle’s editor in chief Tyler Brûlé, Benno Zogg, Chandra Kurt and Marcus Schögel, plus a check-in with Kaius Niemi, senior editor in chief of Finland’s ‘Helsingin Sanomat’ newspaper.
Radio News 24/7 reports: Fighting escalates in Ethiopia, flooding from a typhoon in the Philippines kills dozens and surging Covid-19 cases in the U.S.
BBC Radio 4 (July 30, 2024): From the Hay Festival, James and a panel of experts explain what we can all do to help ourselves age well. We discover what’s going on in our bodies when we age, the difference between biological and chronological age, as well as getting the audience moving for a physical test.
James is joined by gerontologist Sarah Harper from the University of Oxford, biomedical scientist Georgina Ellison-Hughes from King’s College London, and doctor Norman Lazarus to understand how exercise, diet, and mental health all have a part to play in how we age.
Georgia to recount all votes in Presidential race by hand, Joe Biden focuses on transition, the Early-Bird Special is now everyone’s favorite restaurant reservation.
Researchers try to unpick the complex relationship between sensory pollutants and bird reproduction, and how to combat organized crime in fisheries.
In this episode:
00:46 Sensory pollution and bird reproduction
Light- and noise-pollution have been shown to affect the behaviour of birds. However, it’s been difficult to work out whether these behavioural changes have led to bird species thriving or declining. Now, researchers have assembled a massive dataset that can begin to give some answers. Research article: Senzaki et al.
10:17 Coronapod
Interim results from a phase III trial show compelling evidence that a coronavirus vaccine candidate can prevent COVID-19. However, amid the optimism there remain questions to be answered – we discuss these, and what the results might mean for other vaccines in development. News: What Pfizer’s landmark COVID vaccine results mean for the pandemic
23:29 Research Highlights
A tiny bat breaks a migration record, and researchers engineer a mouse’s sense of place. Research Highlight: The record-setting flight of a bat that weighs less than a toothbrush; Research Article: Robinson et al.
25:39 Organised crime in fisheries
When you think of fishing, organised crime probably isn’t the first thing that springs to mind. However, billions of dollars every year from the fishing industry are lost to criminal enterprises. We discuss some of the impacts and what can be done about it. Research Article: Witbooi et al.
32:13 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, a time-capsule discovered on the Irish coast provides a damning indictment of Arctic warming, and some human remains challenge the idea of ‘man-the-hunter’. The Guardian: Arctic time capsule from 2018 washes up in Ireland as polar ice melts; Science: Woman the hunter: Ancient Andean remains challenge old ideas of who speared big game
Supreme Court Justices question GOP States’ case against ACA, President-Elect Joe Biden not worried about Trump during the transition, and Missouri deputy surprises son after Afghanistan deployment in emotional reunion.
NPR New Now reports: Trump Administration is authorizing all U.S. Attorneys to review any voting irregularities, Supreme Court to hear challenge to Affordable Care Act’s ‘Individual Mandate’, and other top news.
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