Will anything stop the rise of gold?

2025-11-24

For most of history parents have wanted sons, but in recent years mums and dads in the rich world have shown an emerging preference for girls. Why is this, and what happens if they start to use technology to act on this?

Video supported by @mishcondereya

00:00 – Are baby boys going out of fashion?
00:26 – Why are more boys born than girls?
01:03 – How many “missing” girls are there?
02:17 – Why do parents want baby girls?
02:58 – Are people choosing their baby’s sex?
03:39 – What are these procedures?
04:34 – What could happen to society if there are more girls?

The new economics of babymaking: https://econ.st/3WufkYw

Why the best time to be a dad is now: https://econ.st/3UHLnTJ

America’s fertility crash reaches a new low: https://econ.st/48NfYaS

Technology Quarterly: Designing

2025-11-20

“We are ready to go for a deal, but for a fair and balanced deal, not a one-sided deal” Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, tells our journalists.

Nicolas Pelham, our Middle East correspondent, and Adam Roberts, our digital editor, have been on a rare reporting trip to Tehran. On today’s Insider episode they join our top editors to discuss what they learnt from the interview with the foreign minister and what the future holds for the Islamic Republic.