Babbage from The Economist
440 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 398 ratingsBabbage is our weekly podcast on science and technology, named after Charles Babbage—a 19th-century polymath and grandfather of computing. Host Alok Jha talks to our correspondents about the innovations, discoveries and gadgetry shaping the world. Published every Wednesday.
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Episodes
Babbage: Where it began
April 14, 2021 17:51 - 35 minutes - 80.6 MBAlmost a year and a half since the discovery of the virus that causes covid-19, The Economist’s health policy editor, Natasha Loder, investigates one of the pandemic’s most compelling mysteries: where did SARS-CoV-2 come from? Peter Daszak, who was part of the World Health Organisation’s controversial fact-finding mission to China, explains what evidence they gathered from Wuhan’s animal markets and the city’s microbiology laboratories. For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and...
Babbage: Finger on the pulse of bias
April 07, 2021 17:06 - 22 minutes - 51.9 MBHospitals routinely measure patients' blood-oxygen levels to determine the severity of covid-19. Why do these and other medical devices and treatments work less well for non-white people and women? Also, if you can have microwave ovens—why not microwave boilers for central heating? And, we explore how bees run vaccination campaigns too. Kenneth Cukier hosts For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/podcastoffer and sign up for our new we...
Babbage: Early warning
March 31, 2021 15:30 - 25 minutes - 35 MBHow can technology be used to forecast future pandemics? We speak to the researchers creating an observatory to spot incipient health crises before they take off. Is data the ultimate weapon in the fight against covid-19 and future viruses? And, the rapid genetic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 made early testing possible—but testing infrastructure needs to be improved. Kenneth Cukier hosts. For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/podcastoffe...
Babbage: Shooting out the messenger
March 24, 2021 18:25 - 26 minutes - 60.6 MBThe pandemic has fueled the rapid advancement of emerging biotechnologies. The Economist’s science editor explores the potential of RNA beyond covid-19. Also, theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli explains the implications of quantum physics on our interactions with objects. And, creating self-healing materials where roads repair themselves. Kenneth Cukier hosts For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/podcastoffer and sign up for our new...
Babbage: Baidu it
March 17, 2021 17:21 - 24 minutes - 56.1 MBAs the Chinese tech giant Baidu prepares for a secondary listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange, how will Baidu’s rise influence technological innovation in China and beyond? Also, the humidity inside facemasks is helpful in fighting covid-19, not just preventing transmission. And Dr Tolullah Oni, an urban epidemiologist, on improving health in rapidly growing cities. Kenneth Cukier hosts For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/podca...
Babbage: Coronavirus, a year on
March 10, 2021 17:24 - 23 minutes - 54.3 MBA year ago the World Health Organisation declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. The Economist’s health-care correspondent reflects on the future path of covid-19 infections. Also, how have past pandemics shaped today's society? And, epidemiologist Professor Dame Anne Johnson explores the opportunities for the “new normal”. Kenneth Cukier hosts For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/podcastoffer and sign up for our new weekly sc...
Babbage: Variations on a gene
March 03, 2021 17:22 - 24 minutes - 55.4 MBAs global vaccination efforts continue, how is the coronavirus mutating to stay ahead? The head of Britain's covid-19 genomics consortium explains why genetic sequencing is crucial. Also, how studying individual cancer genes may improve precision treatments. And an AI for an eye—host Kenneth Cukier investigates the potential of AI in medicine first hand. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast....
Babbage: Collusions and collisions
February 24, 2021 17:18 - 26 minutes - 61.5 MBAfter Facebook reached a deal with Australia, the tech giants are coming under fire once again -- this time from each other. Are their cosy monopolies under threat? Also, The Economist’s defence editor investigates the multi-billion dollar industry which exploits vulnerabilities in vital software. And, how whales could help the study of seismology in the ocean. Kenneth Cukier hosts Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/po...
Babbage: Hard reboot
February 17, 2021 18:56 - 25 minutes - 58.2 MBIntel is the world’s biggest chipmaker. So why is it underperforming—and can its new boss turn the company around? As the search for life on Mars hots up, astrophysicist Avi Loeb argues science has already detected evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life. And, why parents of daughters are more likely to divorce than those with sons. Kenneth Cukier hosts Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on ...
Babbage: Go with your gut
February 10, 2021 17:19 - 23 minutes - 32 MBThe human microbiome consists of trillions of microorganisms like bacteria, viruses and fungi. Scientists are researching how these tiny creatures could be linked to Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and other diseases. Also, how understanding soil microbiomes could help combat climate change. Kenneth Cukier hosts. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer And subscribe to our weekly science newsletter at economist....
Babbage: Clash of the titans
February 03, 2021 19:01 - 27 minutes - 38.8 MBAs Facebook and Apple go head-to-head over privacy, the impact could be felt across the digital world. We ask Michael Wooldridge, a leading AI researcher, whether artificial intelligence is the answer to the world’s problems, the seed of humanity’s eventual destruction—or neither. And the world would look very different without the LED: we speak to one of the engineers behind this illuminating technology. Kenneth Cukier hosts Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digi...
Babbage: Is the model looking good?
January 27, 2021 17:44 - 24 minutes - 33.6 MBAs initial data arrives from countries with high vaccination rates, how will the covid-19 vaccines affect the need for lockdowns? Epidemiologist Professor Mark Woolhouse explains his models of the future of the virus. Plus: a new way of getting concentrated oxygen out of the air and Britain's state-run strategies for capitalising on the growing space economy. Kenneth Cukier hosts. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podc...
Babbage: Photon opportunity
January 20, 2021 16:30 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MBHow has Albert Einstein’s work on photons ushered in a golden age of light? Oliver Morton, The Economist's briefings editor, explores why the laser's applications have been spectacular and how solar power became the cheapest source of electricity in many countries. Also, he talks to the scientists scanning the skies with the largest digital camera in the world. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on...
Babbage: Innovation’s new wave
January 13, 2021 17:49 - 27 minutes - 62.4 MBCovid-19 has catalysed scientific advancement and boosted technological optimism. Could innovation be the answer to decades of slowing growth in Western countries? Also, why magnetic tape still reigns supreme in “cold” data storage. And how effective are traditional herbal remedies at treating tropical diseases? Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Babbage: Viral defences
January 06, 2021 18:11 - 27 minutes - 63 MBA new strain of covid-19 is surging in Britain, America and Europe—vaccines can curb the effects, but can governments speed up the roll-out? Also, in 2020 some regions acted rapidly enough to avoid severe waves of infection. Host Kenneth Cukier speaks to the public health leaders who initiated “elimination” strategies. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...
Babbage: Baby it’s cold outside
December 30, 2020 16:30 - 25 minutes - 35.6 MBIn a special holiday episode, we travel to the Russian Arctic to meet the "prophet of the permafrost", take an extraterrestrial hike in the tracks of NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars and meet the researchers cataloguing culture. Kenneth Cukier hosts Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Babbage: The parasites and the pandemic
December 23, 2020 16:30 - 30 minutes - 70.8 MBWhile the world has been preoccupied with tackling covid-19, deadly malaria epidemics are continuing around the world. Robert Guest, The Economist’s foreign editor, investigates how covid-19 has affected the fight against malaria and talks to scientists in Senegal working to eliminate the disease. Also, historian Timothy Winegard explains how malaria has shaped life on Earth. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastof...
Babbage: Taming the tech titans
December 16, 2020 17:43 - 26 minutes - 61 MBThis week the EU unveiled its plan to rein in big tech—the draft laws target the American giants, but European firms may not benefit much. Also, how a failed study has revealed a promising new gene-therapy treatment for blindness. And, which science stories were overlooked in a year dominated by covid-19? Kenneth Cukier hosts Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...
Babbage: Lighter than air
December 09, 2020 16:45 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MBThe aviation industry is under pressure to curb carbon-dioxide emissions—hydrogen fuel could offer a greener way to fly. Also, host Kenneth Cukier unravels the inner workings of the human mind with psychologist Howard Gardner and neuroscientist David Eagleman. If there are multiple intelligences, what happens when they work together? And, how technology can tap into the abilities of the ever-changing brain. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editio...
Babbage: Testing testing
December 02, 2020 19:41 - 30 minutes - 70 MBBritain has become the first country to license a fully tested covid-19 vaccine—the Economist’s health policy editor explains why this a historic milestone. Until vaccines become widespread, mass testing can be used to curb contagion. And, is it possible to detect covid-19 from the sound of a cough? Kenneth Cukier hosts Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...
Babbage: Another dose of good news
November 25, 2020 18:12 - 30 minutes - 68.8 MBFollowing promising results from Pfizer and Moderna, why is a third vaccine, from Oxford University and AstraZeneca, so important in the fight against covid-19? Host Kenneth Cukier and The Economist’s health policy editor Natasha Loder investigate the different approaches to this immense challenge. And Nicholas Christakis, a doctor and network scientist at Yale University, explains how despite a vaccine the pandemic could change humanity for good. Please subscribe to The Economist for full ...
Babbage: A grand bargain for tech
November 18, 2020 18:54 - 22 minutes - 53.2 MBIs it time for a new, global politics of technology? Democratic countries need to establish a robust alternative to China’s autocratic technosphere. The news about potential covid-19 vaccines keeps getting better; we assess how the leading candidates differ. And, is there really phosphine on Venus? Kenneth Cukier hosts Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...
Babbage: In it for the long-haulers
November 11, 2020 19:44 - 29 minutes - 67.7 MBThe arrival of vaccines to tame covid-19 now seems within reach, but the disease will continue to shape lives long after the pandemic. The Economist’s health policy editor Natasha Loder speaks to patients, doctors and researchers about the symptoms that make up “long covid”, the latest findings about its causes—and how to treat it. Subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...
Babbage: Signal and noise
November 04, 2020 17:05 - 25 minutes - 57.9 MBSocial media platforms face one of the most testing weeks in their history as they try to filter the real election news from the fake—host Kenneth Cukier asks whether they are up to the task. In the data economy, does privacy equal power? And, how to harness the sound of the deep sea to power underwater devices. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Babbage: Life, the universe and everything
October 28, 2020 17:41 - 27 minutes - 62.7 MBFrom precious moonwater to a handful of asteroid that could provide clues to the origins of life, recent discoveries in our solar system lead host Alok Jha to investigate fundamental questions about the universe. How did life on Earth begin? Could earthly evolution provide a guide to what life elsewhere might be like? And what about the end of everything—the death of the universe itself? Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.c...
Babbage: Herd mentality
October 21, 2020 18:10 - 28 minutes - 65 MBAs new waves of covid-19 sweep around the world, scientists are clashing over the concept of herd immunity. Host Kenneth Cukier asks scientists on both sides of the debate whether covid-19 should be left to spread freely among the young and healthy? Also, the Department of Justice's federal antitrust lawsuit against Google—we search what this means for big tech. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted o...
Babbage: The Metaverse is coming
October 14, 2020 15:30 - 28 minutes - 39.3 MBWe explore computer-generated virtual worlds and their use in everything from film-making to architecture. What will it take to build a real Metaverse, a persistent virtual world that anyone can plug into? This vision, though born in the minds of science fiction writers, is shaping the real-world ambitions of much of the tech world. Host Alok Jha talks to author Neal Stephenson, VR pioneer Jaron Lanier and the VFX team behind The Mandalorian. Please subscribe to The Economist for full acce...
Babbage: Nobel minds
October 07, 2020 18:40 - 27 minutes - 38.3 MBHost Kenneth Cukier explores the science honoured in this year’s Nobel prizes. Our correspondents assess the life-saving impact of the identification of hepatitis C, speak to one of this year’s winners for physics, Andrea Ghez, about her work unveiling the mysteries of the cosmos, and hear from Jennifer Doudna, co-developer of CRISPR-Cas9, on the potential of genome editing. Plus, can the awards adapt to modern science? Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and...
Babbage: Apple's Epic battle
September 30, 2020 17:28 - 25 minutes - 35 MBThis week a judge heard the first arguments in an antitrust case that could reshape the software ecosystem. Who will be the real winners and losers of this digital deathmatch? Quantum computers have limited capabilities, but the technology may yet live up to its promise. And, how understanding the evolutionary history of exercise could help get people moving. Kenneth Cukier hosts. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/pod...
Babbage: Pandemic’s progress
September 23, 2020 18:52 - 27 minutes - 37.5 MBAs the global covid-19 death toll nears 1 million, The Economist’s healthcare correspondent and health policy editor explain what scientists are still investigating about the virus, how long-lasting is the immune response and how the pandemic can be tamed. And, the model of Taiwan—is it “post-pandemic”? Kenneth Cukier hosts Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...
Babbage: Rosalind Franklin
September 16, 2020 16:35 - 27 minutes - 37.2 MB100 years after the British scientist Rosalind Franklin's birth, The Economist’s health policy editor Natasha Loder explores her scientific achievements—from photographing the double helix of DNA to discovering the first three-dimensional structure of a virus. And, how does Franklin’s work help the study of covid-19? Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...
Babbage: Burning down the house
September 09, 2020 16:36 - 21 minutes - 29.6 MBWildfires are raging across California as the state experiences a record heatwave. Climate change and irresponsible building has resulted in billions of dollars in damage. How can developers build better fire-proof homes? Also, investigative journalist James Ball on who owns the internet. And, dream on—do dreams reflect reality? Kenneth Cukier hosts Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See...
Babbage: The fast and the spurious
September 02, 2020 17:42 - 26 minutes - 36.1 MBGovernments around the world are approving covid-19 drugs and vaccines at an unprecedented speed, but Natasha Loder, The Economist's Health Policy Editor, warns of the dangers that this could cause. Also, is Elon Musk's plan to link a computer to human brains science or spin? And, take a deep breath—author James Nestor on improving the quality of our breathing. Kenneth Cukier hosts. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/p...
Babbage: The fast and the spurious
September 02, 2020 17:42 - 26 minutes - 36.1 MBGovernments around the world are approving covid-19 drugs and vaccines at an unprecedented speed, but Natasha Loder, The Economist's Health Policy Editor, warns of the dangers that this could cause. Also, is Elon Musk's plan to link a computer to human brains science or spin? And, take a deep breath—author James Nestor on improving the quality of our breathing. Kenneth Cukier hosts. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/p...
Babbage: Viruses, lords of creation
August 26, 2020 17:39 - 29 minutes - 42.4 MBThese tiny, ancient predators do more than cause pandemics. Host Kenneth Cukier and science editor Geoff Carr investigate how viruses have shaped the world. Evolutionary biologist David Enard explains how viruses have driven human development. And Jennifer Doudna, who pioneered CRISPR gene editing, and Steffanie Strathdee, an innovator in phage therapy, show how cells’ antiviral defences as well as viruses themselves can be harnessed to protect the future of humanity. Please subscribe to ...
Babbage: Long-haul plight
August 19, 2020 19:35 - 23 minutes - 33 MBSome victims of covid-19 continue to suffer from the illness many weeks and months after falling ill. What can be done to help these “long-haulers”? Also, the technology writer Matt Ridley on how innovation works. And, a possible solution to 2020’s other plague: locust swarms. Kenneth Cukier hosts. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Babbage: WeFight
August 12, 2020 17:05 - 19 minutes - 26.9 MBFor Chinese users, WeChat does far more than just messaging. What are the implications of America’s proposed ban on the Chinese “super app”? Also, Canada’s last full Arctic shelf has collapsed, and climate change is to blame. And a sizzling solution to indoor barbeque pollution. Tom Standage hosts Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Babbage: Put to the test
August 05, 2020 16:19 - 25 minutes - 35.2 MBA shortage of covid-19 tests around the world has hampered efforts to contain it. Could "pool sampling" be a solution? Also, the promise of million-mile electric car batteries? And, Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, a developmental biologist at the University of Cambridge and Caltech, on the mysteries of life after conception. Kenneth Cukier hosts Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast....
Babbage: Life on Mars?
July 29, 2020 16:35 - 32 minutes - 45 MBThree nations set out on separate missions to shed light on a question that astronomers have been asking for centuries—is there life on Mars? Alok Jha asks leading scientists about how their missions will search for signs of life on the red planet. And, why those investigating it should avoid irreversible damage to a potentially pristine ecosystem. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See a...
Babbage: A punt on the Oxford vaccine
July 22, 2020 17:45 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBOxford University is ahead in the race to develop a covid-19 vaccine that could halt the pandemic. Yet lead researcher, Professor Sarah Gilbert, says some trial results may be delayed owing to changing virus transmissions in different countries. Also, navigating the sky with diamonds. And, why sewage can help census-takers. Kenneth Cukier hosts. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See a...
Babbage: A punt on the Oxford vaccine
July 22, 2020 17:45 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBOxford University is ahead in the race to develop a covid-19 vaccine that could halt the pandemic. Yet lead researcher, Professor Sarah Gilbert, says some trial results may be delayed owing to changing virus transmissions in different countries. Also, navigating the sky with diamonds. And, why sewage can help census-takers. Kenneth Cukier hosts. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer See acast.com/priva...
Babbage: Something in the air
July 15, 2020 17:05 - 26 minutes - 36.4 MBAs governments consider loosening lockdowns, troubling evidence suggests that the virus behind covid-19 lingers in the air, making it more communicable than previously thought. Lidia Morawska, of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health in Queensland, argues for better indoor ventilation. Also, Dr Vivian Lee from Verily, on how she would fix the American healthcare system. And, the “illuminating” technology revealing archaeological secrets. Kenneth Cukier hosts Please subscr...
Babbage: The forgotten pandemic
July 08, 2020 17:53 - 25 minutes - 34.9 MBWith attention diverted to covid-19, access to HIV medications has been disrupted. Host Kenneth Cukier talks to Meg Doherty, director of HIV programmes at the World Health Organisation, about the fight against the other pandemic. Also, hydrogen power has had many false starts. Could it be about to take off? And, scientist Ainissa Ramirez on the ways technology changes how people live, act, and think. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions:...
Babbage: The forgotten pandemic
July 08, 2020 17:53 - 25 minutes - 34.9 MBWith attention diverted to covid-19, access to HIV medications has been disrupted. Host Kenneth Cukier talks to Meg Doherty, director of HIV programmes at the World Health Organisation, about the fight against the other pandemic. Also, hydrogen power has had many false starts. Could it be about to take off? And, scientist Ainissa Ramirez on the ways technology changes how people live, act, and think. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions:...
Babbage: Predicting pandemics
July 01, 2020 17:53 - 24 minutes - 33.3 MBAs covid-19 continues to devastate the world and scientists race to develop therapeutics and vaccines, Alok Jha investigates how to get ahead of the curve and prevent the next pandemic. Scientists explain how studying the relationship between animals and humans, and finding and genetically sequencing the millions of as-yet-undiscovered animal viruses in the wild, could stop future disease outbreaks becoming global health catastrophes. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to pr...
Babbage: Track and trace
June 24, 2020 20:21 - 33 minutes - 45.7 MBContact tracing is one of the tools being used against covid-19, but in the age of the smartphone, technology presents a new way to improve the process. Kenneth Cukier explores why contact-tracing apps have not yet delivered on their promise, how they can preserve privacy and what today’s decisions mean for the future of technology in society. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hosted on Acast. See acas...
Babbage: Pole position
June 17, 2020 17:13 - 25 minutes - 34.8 MBA year-long, $160m expedition to the Arctic has passed its halfway mark and is amassing sobering data about the effects of climate change there. One of the scientists on board explains the discoveries so far. Also, Peter Schwartz, who imagined the future in Minority Report, shares his advice for forward planning in the age of covid-19. And, what next for facial recognition technology? Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/...
Babbage: Covid-19's path of destruction
June 10, 2020 18:57 - 26 minutes - 36.2 MBSlavea Chankova and Kenneth Cukier investigate the ways in which SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes covid-19, wears the body down. Apart from pneumonia, there are other facets to the disease that are less understood such as damage to the kidneys, blood vessels and heart. And, how does covid-19 continue to harm the body—and patients' mental health— in the long term? Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer Hoste...
Babbage: The rise of robo-doc
June 03, 2020 19:09 - 28 minutes - 38.7 MBDoctors enter augmented reality to help them treat patients with illnesses like covid-19. Host Kenneth Cukier speaks to the doctors leading a Hololens initiative at an Imperial College London hospital. Also, Dario Gil, director of IBM Research, on the future of scientific collaboration. And SpaceX has successfully sent two astronauts to the International Space Station—what’s next for commercial spaceflight? Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editi...
Babbage: The language of the universe
May 27, 2020 16:31 - 25 minutes - 34.8 MBHow can mathematics help us understand our lives and predict the world around us? Host Alok Jha speaks to David Sumpter of Uppsala University about the equations that can help people make better decisions. Christl Donnelly, an epidemiologist at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London details the role mathematics plays in modelling covid-19. Moon Duchin of Tufts University explains how maths can stop gerrymandering. And physicist Graham Farmelo on why he thinks the universe speak...