Come on out, the vacuum’s fine: SpaceX
2024-09-13
Capsule that can withstand vacuum? Check. Low-pressure spacesuit? Check. Space-friendly Doritos? Check. The first spacewalk by private citizens (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/08/28/billionaire-space-travel-heads-for-a-new-frontier?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) showcases SpaceX’s prowess, the viability of privately funded exploration—and extraplanetary product placement. Gene editing
Mario druthers: Draghi’s plan for Europe
2024-09-10
The EU’s unofficial chief technocrat issued a doorstop of a report outlining how the bloc can boost growth (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/09/09/can-anything-spark-europes-economy-back-to-life?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) and keep up in a changing world. Is it all too ambitious? Mexico’s lame-duck president has one last project in mind: undermining the judiciary (https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/08/29/amlos-dangerous-last-blast-threatens-mexico?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (10:44). And as the
Nvincible? What could curb Nvidia’s supremacy
2024-08-29
The American chip designer has become one of the world’s most valuable companies on the back of the AI revolution. But there are some contradictions in Nvidia’s plans for the future (https://www.economist.com/business/2024/08/26/what-could-stop-the-nvidia-frenzy?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners). California’s iconic Highway 1 is under threat (https://www.economist.com/interactive/united-states/2024/07/30/the-demise-of-an-iconic-american-highway?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (10:46). And why Europeans are spurning nudity
Rule and divide: Donald Trump is judged immune
2024-07-02
The US Supreme Court has granted (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/07/01/donald-trump-wins-a-big-victory-at-the-supreme-court) the former President immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office. We ask what that means for future Presidents and the 2024 American election. Humanity is standing by while sea levels rise. Now scientists want to geo-engineer polar ice (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/06/06/zany-ideas-to-slow-polar-melting-are-gathering-momentum) to stem the flow (10:45). And why a hot sauce beloved by many (https://www.economist.com/business/2024/06/20/the-cautionary-tale-of-huy-fongs-hot-sauce) suddenly disappeared from our shelves (19:45).
Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science
The Weekend Intelligence: The state of Britain
2024-06-29
On July 4th Britain will have a general election, one in which is widely expected to result in dramatic losses for the ruling Conservative party. If so, it would bring to an end 14 years of Tory rule. It’s been a turbulent period; the twin catastrophes of Brexit and Covid, set to the grinding and gloomy mood music of the 2008 financial crash. The Economist’s Andy Miller travels up and down the country, to the towns and cities shaped by these events, to get a sense of how Britain is feeling.
Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ (https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus)
For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page
Empire of the sun: a solar power revolution
2024-06-20
No energy source has ever increased as fast as solar photovoltaics. The technology will transform humanity’s energy consumption–even when the sun doesn’t shine. Many people associate champagne with success but wine collectors often shun it. Now global sales are fizzing (10:51).
2 pings