Well-Informed & Open-Minded

Perched in the hills of southern Italy, San Giovanni Lipioni has become a symbol of a nation’s demographic reckoning—a village of just 137 residents, once dubbed Italy’s oldest town by average age, now hollowed out by decades of emigration. Empty houses line its streets, the last grocery store has shut, and the nursery school is gone, leaving an aging population and a fragile local economy clinging to memory and routine. In this episode, we explore how local officials and residents are trying to turn notoriety into survival, selling abandoned homes to outsiders in hopes of reviving daily life. Yet beneath the headlines and hopeful schemes lies a quieter story of decline, as young families continue to leave and essential services vanish. The fate of San Giovanni Lipioni raises a stark question facing many rural communities across Europe: what does it take for a town not just to be remembered, but to endure?https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/22/world/europe/italy-san-giovanni-lipioni-aging.html

In France, aging is being quietly recast—not as a retreat from visibility, but as a moment of release. From actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu’s unapologetic embrace of daring fashion in her sixties to a wave of books celebrating single, self-directed life after 50, older women are pushing back against the idea that desirability and power have an expiry date. In this episode, we explore how changing aesthetics, prominent cultural figures, and the rise of what some call “silver power” are reshaping attitudes toward age, femininity, and authority. Set against a younger generation more drawn to cosmetic intervention, the story asks whether France is offering an alternative model of aging—one rooted less in preservation, and more in confidence, freedom, and presence.https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/11/14/how-older-french-women-are-redefining-the-aesthetics-of-ageing

A viral trend has turned a design shortcut into a nationwide crime wave. Videos posted by the so-called “Kia Boys” show just how easily certain Kia and Hyundai models can be stolen, and the results have been felt on city streets from Chicago to New York. In this episode, we examine how the absence of a basic, low-cost immobilizer—standard in many other countries—helped fuel a surge in car thefts, prompting major cities to sue the manufacturers for selling what they claim are defective vehicles. Beyond the courtroom, the story raises larger questions about corporate responsibility, social media–driven crime, and how a small engineering decision can ripple outward, reshaping patterns of youth offending and reversing decades of progress in car security.https://www.economist.com/cities-are-suing-car-manufacturers-over-auto-theft-they-have-a-case

In a world where water is supposed to be tasteless, a small but growing group insists it has terroir. At a Fine Water Summit in Atlanta, judges swirl, sip, and score bottled waters from around the globe, parsing mineral content and mouth-feel with the seriousness of a wine tasting. In this episode, we explore the rise of water connoisseurship, from the influence of Michael Mascha, the Austrian evangelist behind restaurant water menus, to the surge of artisanal brands embraced by younger consumers and viral influencers. What begins as a story of luxury and distinction ultimately opens onto a deeper paradox: how the elevation of bottled water as a premium product intersects with growing awareness of environmental limits and the global scarcity of clean, drinkable water.https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/04/27/water-sommeliers-say-the-simplest-drink-is-the-future-of-luxury

Once seen as a niche or nostalgic mode of travel, the bicycle—supercharged by the rise of the e-bike—is rapidly reshaping cities around the world. From Paris to New York, protected lanes and better batteries have turned cycling into a practical alternative to the car, cutting congestion and pollution while reclaiming urban space. In this episode, we explore why the pandemic, new technology, and safer infrastructure have fueled this boom—and why it has sparked a fierce backlash, as motorists, populist politicians, and regulators push back against bike-friendly streets. As powerful and sometimes illegal e-bikes blur the line between bicycle and motor vehicle, the story reveals how a simple machine has become one of the most disruptive—and divisive—transport technologies of the modern city.https://www.economist.com/international/2025/10/09/forget-evs-cycling-is-revolutionising-transport

For generations, abundance at the Chinese table has been measured not by what is eaten, but by what is left behind—where full plates signal generosity, status, and face. In this episode, we examine how that deeply ingrained culture of waste is being challenged by a top-down campaign led by Xi Jinping, who has framed food waste as a threat to national food security shaped by his own memories of hunger. From a sweeping 2021 anti-food-waste law and bans on mukbang videos to efforts encouraging diners to take leftovers home, the story traces how the state is trying to engineer new habits around “clean plate” behavior. Yet as experts point out that waste occurs all along the farm-to-fork chain, the campaign reveals a larger struggle: whether legislation and moral pressure can truly reshape everyday practices tied to pride, tradition, and prosperity.https://www.economist.com/china/2022/03/12/china-is-clamping-down-on-food-waste

Along Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, the global appetite for lobster is sustained by some of the most dangerous labor on earth. In the impoverished, largely Indigenous community of Puerto Cabezas, divers descend ever deeper with faulty equipment and little training, risking paralysis or death from decompression sickness in order to survive. In this episode, we follow the story of Edmundo Stanley Antonio, a fisherman who returned to the water after a near-fatal accident, and examine how overfishing, weak enforcement, and political inertia have trapped hundreds of men in a brutal economy of risk. As laws meant to protect divers stall and alternative livelihoods remain scarce, the story exposes a stark choice faced by many in the region: risk death at sea, or face hunger on land.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/24/world/nicaragua-lobsters-fishing.html

For much of the past decade, democracy in Asia appeared to be in retreat, as strongmen consolidated power, courts and media were weakened, and coups and crackdowns—from Myanmar to the Philippines—seemed to confirm an authoritarian tide. In this episode, we examine why that narrative is no longer complete, tracing recent moments of democratic resilience and revival, from peaceful elections in Malaysia and Fiji to mass protests that toppled entrenched rulers in Sri Lanka. The story explores how economic disappointment has undercut authoritarian promises and how older democratic traditions have quietly endured beneath the surface. Despite ongoing setbacks and fragile institutions, the political mood across parts of Asia is shifting, revealing signs that the seeds of democratic renewal may be taking root once again.https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/02/09/democracy-is-reviving-in-asia

Downtown skylines are changing, not with new towers but with new lives inside old ones. As hybrid work leaves offices empty in cities around the world, developers and policymakers are betting on a radical reuse: turning vacant commercial buildings into housing. In this episode, we explore why projects like the massive conversion of 25 Water Street in New York have become symbols of a new urban strategy, how zoning reforms and political incentives are accelerating the trend, and why the physical realities of office design—deep floor plates, plumbing, and light—make such transformations far from simple. Drawing on Lower Manhattan’s earlier reinvention as a residential neighborhood, the story asks whether office-to-apartment conversions can truly revive struggling city centers, or whether they offer only a partial fix to deeper urban and housing crises.https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/02/09/city-centres-from-offices-to-family-homes

The modern digital economy runs not just on clicks and code, but on habit. Behind the apps and platforms that dominate daily life are designers who study human psychology, borrowing ideas from behavioral science to keep users returning through variable rewards, social validation, and subtle cues that turn ordinary users into “uber-users.” In this episode, we explore how internet companies engineer attention, why some critics liken these techniques to addiction while others insist habits are far harder to create, and what this arms race means for autonomy in an always-connected world. As digital products grow more sophisticated and more pervasive, the question is no longer whether technology shapes behavior—but how consciously, and at what cost.https://www.economist.com/business/2014/12/30/getting-hooked

For decades, China’s leaders have wrestled with how to manage a faith they have long regarded as foreign—and since 2015, that struggle has taken a new form in Xi Jinping’s campaign to “sinify” Christianity. In this episode, we examine how five-year plans now seek to reshape Christian belief and practice around socialist ideology and “core socialist values,” affecting tens of millions of believers across the country. From a cautious accommodation with the Vatican to an ongoing crackdown on independent Protestant house churches, the story traces the limits of state control over belief. And yet, as churches adapt, migrate online, and continue to grow, the campaign reveals a deeper tension: whether a government can fully domesticate a faith whose followers insist they are both genuinely Christian and unmistakably Chinese.https://www.economist.com/china/2021/03/31/china-wants-to-make-its-christians-more-chinese

For more than a century, urban planning has swung between opposing ideals—escape the crowded industrial city, then repair the damage left by suburban sprawl. From Britain’s postwar “new towns” to the automobile-fueled expansion of low-density suburbs, each solution carried unintended consequences: longer commutes, higher infrastructure costs, environmental strain, and traffic that only worsened as roads multiplied. In this episode, we explore how planners are now trying to reverse that trajectory, embracing denser, mixed-use neighborhoods, transit-oriented development, and walkable streets inspired by New Urbanism. The story reveals how cities are rethinking mobility, space, and community—and why fixing the problems of the past means redesigning how we move through the places we call home.Abbott, Carl, 'The suburban solution', City Planning: A Very Short Introduction, Very Short Introductions (New York, 2020; online edn, Oxford Academic, 22 Oct. 2020), https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780190944346.003.0003

A routine breakfast turned dangerous in 2010, when millions of eggs from Iowa became the source of a widespread Salmonella outbreak—an episode that revealed how an invisible microbe can slip unnoticed from farm to plate. In this episode, we trace how Salmonella moves from chickens and eggs into the human body, survives stomach acid, and uses specialized molecular tools to invade intestinal cells and multiply. As the immune system fights back, the familiar symptoms of fever and diarrhea emerge—not as accidents, but as part of the body’s own defense. Along the way, the story separates everyday food poisoning from the far deadlier typhoid strain, offering a reminder that food safety, proper cooking, and public health remain our strongest protection against a bacterium that thrives in plain sight.https://youtu.be/nQf-lystVn4?si=eZn9BnVqU1OdRDC0

The beauty ideal is narrowing again—quite literally. As fashion and social media resurrect the allure of the “tiny waist,” a new and controversial corner of plastic surgery has emerged, promising a sculpted “Barbie waist” not through dieting or corsetry but by reshaping the ribs themselves. Originating in Russia in the late 2010s as an alternative to outright rib removal, the technique has since evolved into more technologically refined—and fiercely debated—procedures elsewhere. Proponents argue that modern methods can safely deliver dramatic results; critics warn that they flirt with medical risk and cartoonish aesthetics. Beneath the surgical innovation lies a familiar story: how shifting cultural fantasies about the body drive medicine to redraw the limits of what can, and should, be altered.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/style/plastic-surgery-waist-reduction.html

For nearly a century, the BBC’s Shipping Forecast has done far more than warn sailors of rough seas. Born from the nineteenth-century work of Robert FitzRoy, the man who helped invent modern weather forecasting, its spare, rhythmic litany of winds and waters became a uniquely British ritual—at once practical, poetic, and oddly comforting. Today, satellites and computer models have rendered the broadcast largely obsolete for navigation, yet attempts to scale it back provoke fierce resistance. As the BBC quietly reduces airtime and plans to end longwave transmissions, the Shipping Forecast endures as a cultural touchstone: a reminder of Britain’s maritime past, its island identity, and the strange power of a voice calmly describing the weather far beyond the shore.https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/07/03/britains-least-controversial-national-treasure

Salary negotiation is awkward—but it’s often where real money is made. In this episode, we unpack the evidence showing that most people who ask for more pay actually get it, sometimes boosting their income far beyond the initial offer. We also explore why negotiation doesn’t work the same for everyone: how gender penalties, cultural norms, and fears of seeming difficult shape who negotiates and who doesn’t. From when to raise the topic to how to anchor requests in market data, we look at what actually works—and why reframing negotiation as a cooperative problem-solving exercise may be the smartest move in today’s workplace.https://www.economist.com/business/2025/06/02/a-short-guide-to-salary-negotiations

What happens when a story kills the person you thought it revolved around? In this episode, we explore the risky but powerful storytelling move of eliminating a main character early, using Succession’s shocking death of Logan Roy as a central case. From Psycho to The Wire and Game of Thrones, writers have used the “false protagonist” to upend expectations, forcing audiences—and surviving characters—to confront uncertainty, loss, and chaos. These moments can feel like betrayal, but they also strip away narrative comfort, redirect power, and reveal who people really are when the center collapses. By breaking the rules of traditional plot arcs, these deaths make fiction feel truer to life: abrupt, unfair, and transformative.https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/05/02/what-happens-when-a-story-loses-a-main-character

Between 1975 and 1979, Cambodia experienced one of the 20th century’s darkest chapters, when the Khmer Rouge set out to remake society—and killed around two million people in the process. In this episode, we trace how a revolutionary movement born from war, colonial collapse, and Cold War chaos turned cities into graveyards, emptied Phnom Penh overnight, and forced millions into a brutal agrarian experiment built on fear and impossible quotas. We explore how execution, starvation, and disease became tools of governance, and why the regime devoured even its own cadres. But the story doesn’t end with the fall of the Khmer Rouge. We also examine the uneasy legacy of justice, the limits of international tribunals, and why many Cambodians today still struggle to separate perpetrators from victims in a trauma that reshaped an entire nation.https://youtu.be/8_TYFfkc_1U?si=O3gN9DPSECGGOgE9

What does it really mean to be a genius—and can it be made, or only born? In this episode, we unpack how the idea of genius evolved from an ancient “guardian spirit” into a modern label for extraordinary minds, and why defining it today is surprisingly hard. We explore the long-running battle between nature and nurture, from Francis Galton’s flawed obsession with inherited brilliance to modern research showing how intense practice can physically reshape the brain. Is genius just extreme talent, or something rarer—a once-in-a-lifetime collision of ability, effort, and circumstance? And why does our fascination with genius say as much about society as it does about intelligence itself?Robinson, Andrew, 'Defining genius', Genius: A Very Short Introduction, Very Short Introductions (Oxford, 2011; online edn, Oxford Academic, 24 Sept. 2013), https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199594405.003.0001

In this episode, we travel to Danao in the Philippines, where an illegal but highly skilled gunsmithing trade has sustained families for generations. Born out of wartime necessity and economic neglect, backyard workshops produce cheap, reliable firearms in a town with few legal jobs and little state presence. For craftsmen like I. Launa, gun-making is not ideology but inheritance—a way to feed children and preserve a hard-won skill. Yet these weapons fuel crime, insurgency, and extrajudicial killings, leaving authorities torn between enforcement and reality. Is legalization a path to control—or would it legitimize a trade the state can’t afford to ignore?https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/07/world/asia/philippines-illegal-guns.html

In socially conservative India, finding privacy can be harder than finding love itself. In this episode, we explore the rise of short-stay “love hotels,” where unmarried couples can book rooms by the hour to escape joint families, cramped homes, and the risk of moral policing. Apps like Brevistay and StayUncle are trying to normalize intimacy by professionalizing what was once a shadowy arrangement—offering clean rooms, discreet check-ins, and even “love kits.” But can a business built on privacy survive in a culture that still treats young romance as a public offense? And what does this quiet hotel boom reveal about changing ideas of freedom, modernity, and desire in India today?https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/09/23/love-hotels-are-blossoming-in-india

Independent journalism across the Arab world is quietly being strangled. In this episode, we explore how governments that once tolerated critical media as a pressure valve are now shutting it down—using arrests, spyware, financial pressure, and advertising chokeholds to silence dissenting voices. From Egypt to Algeria, newsrooms are closing, foreign broadcasters are pulling their punches, and journalists are being pushed into exile or online obscurity. As state-controlled media loses credibility, audiences are turning to social platforms instead. What’s lost when independent Arab media disappears—and what fills the void when fear replaces scrutiny?https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/01/13/the-arab-worlds-rulers-have-turned-journalists-into-courtiers

Obesity is no longer being treated simply as a risk factor—it’s increasingly being defined as a disease in its own right. In this episode, we unpack a major shift in how doctors diagnose obesity, driven in part by the rise of powerful new weight-loss drugs like semaglutide. A new framework from the Lancet Commission moves beyond the blunt tool of BMI, distinguishing between people who are overweight but otherwise healthy and those with clinical obesity, marked by impaired organ function or reduced ability to live normally. The result is a sharper, more medical definition of who actually needs treatment—and who may not—raising big questions about diagnosis, drugs, and how we talk about body weight in the first place.https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/01/15/is-obesity-a-disease

India is in the middle of a pet boom. As middle-class incomes rise and young adults delay marriage and children, dogs and cats are stepping into the emotional and economic spotlight. The result is a fast-growing industry—pet insurance, luxury boarding, grooming salons, even “paw-ternity leave”—with the market expected to nearly triple over the next decade. Once a niche choice, pet ownership is becoming a marker of modern urban life, reshaping careers, consumption, and family norms across the country.https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/12/12/indians-are-going-gooey-over-dogs

Weddings in Syria are changing—and that shift says a lot about a country trying to leave war behind. For decades, celebrations were marked by gunfire, a tradition that turned joyful moments deadly as stray bullets and even grenades injured and killed guests. Now, under a new government eager to reassert order, celebratory shooting is banned and increasingly enforced, with fines, confiscations, and even demands that grooms surrender a weapon. Fireworks are taking the place of rifles, symbolizing a cautious return to normal life. Yet the old habits linger, revealing how hard it is to disarm a society shaped by years of conflict.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/world/middleeast/syria-weddings-tradition-gunfire-fireworks.html

Sex is supposed to be intimate and effortless—but for millions of people, it’s a quiet source of stress, shame, and silence. In this episode, we unpack the surprisingly widespread reality of sexual dysfunction, from erectile problems and low desire to pain and anxiety, and why so many sufferers never seek help. Drawing on global surveys and personal stories, we explore how embarrassment, poor sex education, and reluctant doctors keep real problems hidden—even when they can signal deeper health risks like heart disease or strain relationships to breaking point. As therapy apps, generic medications, and “wellness” sex tech reshape the conversation, we ask: are we finally learning to talk honestly about sex, or just finding new ways to avoid it?https://www.economist.com/international/2022/12/01/the-taboos-around-sexual-health-are-weakening

Falcons have become some of the world’s most expensive birds—and their soaring price is pushing them toward extinction. In this episode, we explore how traditional falconry in the Gulf, now amplified by racing, beauty contests, and status competition, has created a booming global market where rare birds can cost more than gold by weight. That demand fuels illegal poaching from places like Libya and Pakistan, threatening endangered species such as the saker falcon and even wiping out their prey, the houbara bustard. Despite conservation programs and bans on wild-caught birds, the trade persists underground. Can falconry survive without destroying the very birds it reveres?https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/02/24/the-market-for-falcons-is-soaring-as-wild-populations-decline

Are leaders really different from managers—or is the divide overhyped? In this episode, we unpack the long-running debate that casts managers as process-driven administrators and leaders as visionary change-makers. Drawing on classic thinkers and new research, we explore what actually separates the two roles, why “leadership” is often treated as the superior path, and how this rigid distinction can backfire in real organizations. The conclusion is surprisingly pragmatic: the most effective bosses aren’t one or the other, but those who can balance big-picture direction with the unglamorous work of execution.https://www.economist.com/business/2023/10/23/is-being-a-leader-really-sexier-than-being-a-manager

Anime didn’t just go global—it quietly took over. In this episode, we trace how a once-niche Japanese art form became a worldwide cultural and economic force, with exports rivaling steel and semiconductors and streaming platforms like Netflix and Crunchyroll driving its spread. We explore what sets anime apart: its hand-drawn aesthetic, emotionally complex stories, and willingness to reject tidy Hollywood endings in favor of darker, more relatable worlds. From an endless supply of manga source material to its growing influence on global film and TV, anime’s rise reveals why millions now see it not as a genre, but as a dominant way of storytelling.https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/10/11/why-the-world-is-so-animated-about-anime

Egypt’s Mediterranean coast may look like one long strip of sun and sand, but socially it’s split in two. In this episode, we explore the divide between Sahel el Tayeb—the “good” coast of modest hotels, family trips, and conservative values—and Sahel el Shireer, the “evil” coast of gated compounds, million-dollar villas, designer nightlife, and Westernized elite culture. Though they share the same sea, these parallel worlds reflect Egypt’s widening class and cultural gaps, where QR codes, private beaches, and soaring prices increasingly shut out the middle class. Who gets to enjoy paradise—and on whose terms?https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/world/middleeast/egypt-good-sahel-evil-sahel.html

Artificial general intelligence promises more than smarter chatbots—it could remake the global economy. In this episode, we unpack bold Silicon Valley claims that AGI might push economic growth far beyond anything seen since the Industrial Revolution, by automating not just jobs but innovation itself. Economists disagree sharply: some expect only modest gains, while others warn of a runaway feedback loop—even a “singularity”—where machines improve faster than humans can follow. What would that mean for work, wages, and who gets rich? And if growth really explodes, how would it upend markets, interest rates, and the value of everything we own? We explore the promise—and the disruption—of an AI-powered future.https://www.economist.com/briefing/2025/07/24/what-if-ai-made-the-worlds-economic-growth-explode

Capybaras have quietly taken over the internet—and the world. In this episode, we trace how a giant South American rodent became a global cultural icon, from Japanese zoos in the 1980s that put capybaras in warm baths, to today’s flood of plush toys, memes, stationery, and viral videos. Boosted by social media and characters like Kapibara-san, capybaras now outperform cats and dogs online, admired for their uncanny calm and sociability. In an anxious age, their appeal isn’t cuteness alone—it’s the fantasy of unbothered, communal serenity, wrapped in whiskers and webbed feet.https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/11/25/what-has-webbed-feet-a-big-snout-and-is-adored-on-the-internet

Tattoos are back in China—and they’re evolving fast. In this episode, we explore how a once-stigmatized art form is finding new life as young Chinese tattooists blend traditional calligraphy and ink-wash aesthetics with modern skin art, even as official attitudes remain wary. From historical associations with punishment and criminality to today’s growing acceptance—including within the People’s Liberation Army—tattooing now sits at the crossroads of culture, identity, and business. We look at how artists are building lucrative careers, tattoo schools are booming, and better tools are transforming the craft, revealing why body art has become a quiet but telling signal of cultural change in contemporary China.https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/08/29/china-makes-its-mark-on-the-world-of-tattoos

In this episode, we explore why monarchies continue to thrive in South-East Asia long after they have faded elsewhere. From Brunei to Thailand, some royal families have accumulated extraordinary power, presenting themselves as guardians of tradition, religion, and national identity. But this longevity comes with a risk: succession. As recent transitions show, an unpopular or controversial heir can quickly turn reverence into resentment and spark calls for reform. We look at how different monarchies manage this danger—and why the future of royal rule in the region may hinge less on history than on who wears the crown next.https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/09/15/south-east-asias-monarchies-struggle-with-succession

Moose are a beloved symbol of Newfoundland—and one of its deadliest hazards. In this episode, we explore how four calves imported a century ago multiplied into a vast population with no natural predators, turning highways into danger zones and forests into overgrazed landscapes. Because of their size and anatomy, moose collisions are unusually lethal, often crushing car roofs and killing drivers outright. Yet efforts to fence roads or use warning technology have largely failed, and culls remain controversial. How did an ecological success story become a public-safety crisis? And why does Newfoundland remain so attached to an animal that keeps injuring—and killing—its people?https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/05/world/canada/newfoundland-moose-car-accidents.html

Superman was once the simplest of heroes: sincere, hopeful, and unapologetically good. But in a cynical, polarized age that prizes flawed anti-heroes, that optimism has become a problem. In this episode, we trace Superman’s cultural journey from his comic-book origins through darker modern reboots to James Gunn’s latest attempt to restore his moral clarity. Why does kindness now seem naïve? And can an earnest hero still matter in a world that distrusts power and sincerity? We explore why Superman’s greatest strength today may be the very trait that once made him seem outdated.https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/07/17/why-superman-is-the-least-relevant-superhero

Japan prides itself on safety and low crime—but behind that reputation lies a justice system critics call “hostage justice.” In this episode, we unpack how suspects can be held for weeks without charge, denied bail, and interrogated without lawyers until they confess—sometimes falsely. Through chilling cases like the Ohkawara Kakohki executives, one of whom died in custody, we explore why prosecutors wield such extraordinary power and why convictions are almost guaranteed. Does Japan’s system deliver order at the cost of rights? And can modest reforms fix a model many now argue is fundamentally broken?https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/11/07/why-suspects-in-japan-are-almost-never-acquitted

Air-conditioning was once dismissed as a gimmick that would never work in hot places. Instead, it has quietly reshaped the modern world. In this episode, we explore how cooling has transformed health, productivity and economic growth—from Singapore to the American South—by making cities, factories, data centres and hospitals viable in extreme heat. But the global spread of air-conditioning comes at a cost: soaring electricity demand and powerful refrigerant gases that accelerate climate change. Can the world keep its cool without overheating the planet?https://www.economist.com/international/2018/08/25/air-conditioners-do-great-good-but-at-a-high-environmental-cost

Whole-body deodorant is having a moment in America—and it’s changing how people think about smell. In this episode, we explore the rise of sprays and creams designed for everywhere from feet to groin, driven by aggressive marketing from big brands and a surge in anxiety about body odour. We unpack why most of these products mask scent rather than stop sweat, why doctors warn about irritation and overheating, and whether this trend reflects genuine hygiene needs or a growing discomfort with normal bodies. Is whole-body deodorant a smart innovation—or just insecurity in a can?https://www.economist.com/business/2024/05/23/americans-are-fretting-over-their-body-odour

China has always been obsessed with long life—from Qin Shi Huang’s doomed search for immortality to today’s biotech boom—and now that ancient dream is being rebooted with modern science. In this episode, we explore China’s fast-growing longevity industry, where state money, private startups and elite consumers are pouring into anti-ageing pills, clinics and research promising to slow, halt or even reverse ageing. A casual remark by Xi Jinping about living to 150 helped spark serious investment, but behind the hype lies a mix of cutting-edge biology, mouse studies that may not translate to humans, and a lingering tradition of quack cures. Is China on the brink of a longevity breakthrough—or just repackaging an old fantasy with new technology?https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/world/asia/china-aging-longevity-science.html

America’s war on drugs is starting to look a lot like its war on terror. In this episode, we examine Washington’s turn toward military force in Latin America—reviving old naval bases, deploying destroyers, fighter jets, and drones, and rebranding drug gangs as “narco-terrorists” to justify air strikes. Inspired by counter-terror playbooks from the post-9/11 era, the strategy promises toughness but raises serious questions: can billion-dollar military hardware actually stop fentanyl trafficking, most of which flows over land from Mexico? And at what cost—financially, diplomatically, and strategically—does this escalation come? We unpack whether this show of force is a serious solution or a familiar, expensive mistake.https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/10/13/the-new-war-on-drugs

India’s skies are getting busier—while China’s are quietly emptying. In this episode, we explore a sharp reversal in Asia’s private jet market, where China’s fleet has shrunk amid a property crash, zero-COVID hangovers, and a political crackdown on flashy wealth, even as India sees a full-blown boom. A new class of super-rich Indians is buying jets not to show off, but to get things done—flying frequently to remote business hubs where commercial travel falls short. We unpack what this shift says about power, politics, and prosperity in Asia, and why India’s private jet surge looks set to keep climbing unless the economy hits serious turbulence.https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/07/24/the-new-private-jet-pecking-order

Tech hype has a familiar rhythm: wild excitement, inflated promises, and then a sharp comedown. In this episode, we unpack why every new innovation—from blockchain and NFTs to the metaverse and now artificial intelligence—seems destined to ride the same hype cycle. We explore how moments like the launch of ChatGPT ignite genuine breakthroughs but also tempt founders to overpromise, risking credibility when reality catches up. Hype, it turns out, is both fuel and poison: essential for attracting money and users, yet dangerous if expectations spiral out of control. So how do companies survive the crash after the buzz fades—and which technologies actually endure once the noise dies down?https://www.economist.com/business/2023/03/02/the-uses-and-abuses-of-hype

Evangelical Christianity is staging an unlikely comeback inside Britain’s most traditional church. In this episode, we explore how the Church of England is fighting decades of decline by “planting” new, youth-oriented congregations inspired by Holy Trinity Brompton—swapping organs and robes for live bands, casual dress, and even craft beer. These churches are drawing hundreds of young worshippers, but not without controversy. Critics argue they’re draining life from older parishes and quietly shifting Anglicanism toward a more socially conservative future. Is this bold reinvention a genuine revival—or a risky takeover reshaping the soul of the church?https://www.economist.com/britain/2018/10/27/trendy-new-churches-poach-worshippers-from-stuffy-ones

City grids may look boring, but they quietly shaped the modern world. In this episode, we trace the rise of the rectilinear grid—from Renaissance Italy and the Spanish Laws of the Indies to Manhattan, colonial capitals, and purpose-built cities like Brasília and New Delhi. We explore why straight lines, square blocks, and central plazas proved so irresistible to empires, planners, and real-estate developers alike, even as older European cities grew organically and chaotically. Behind the neat geometry lies politics, power, and control: grids made land easy to divide, tax, police, and govern. So are grids just practical urban tools—or the architecture of authority itself?Abbott, Carl, 'Streets and buildings', City Planning: A Very Short Introduction, Very Short Introductions (New York, 2020; online edn, Oxford Academic, 22 Oct. 2020), https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780190944346.003.0002

More than 2,000 years ago, China’s first emperor set out to conquer death itself. In this episode, we explore the Terracotta Army—over 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers buried to guard Qin Shi Huangdi in the afterlife. Discovered accidentally by farmers in 1974, the vast underground force reveals a ruler so obsessed with immortality that he recreated his empire beneath the earth, complete with generals, musicians, animals, and weapons. The tomb at the center remains sealed, too dangerous to open, preserving one of history’s greatest unfinished projects. What does this silent army tell us about power, fear, and humanity’s refusal to accept the end?https://youtu.be/mP5p4QbvPtc?si=7BzkwmqHkeNFQNCb

In parts of rural South Korea, the future of public transport costs just nine cents. In this episode, we look at the “100-won taxi”—a heavily subsidized ride service created to replace disappearing bus routes in aging, shrinking villages. As younger residents move to cities, elderly people are left isolated, struggling to reach clinics, markets, and community spaces. These ultra-cheap taxis have become a lifeline, restoring mobility, dignity, and social connection—while surprisingly costing the government less than running near-empty buses. It’s a small fare with big implications: what happens when transport policy is redesigned around the needs of the old, not the young?https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/11/world/asia/south-korea-100-won-taxis.html

Singapore is getting wilder—and that’s both a triumph and a test. In this episode, we explore the city-state’s unexpected urban wildlife renaissance, as otters, hornbills, parrots and even the occasional tapir reclaim spaces in one of the world’s densest cities. Fueled by decades of environmental cleanup, green corridors, and restored waterways, animals once threatened or gone are now thriving alongside people. But success brings friction: otters raid fish ponds, residents clash with wildlife, and “nature” no longer stays neatly in parks. How does a hyper-modern metropolis balance conservation pride with the messiness of wild animals living next door?https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/09/14/hornbills-otters-and-even-a-tapir-singapore-is-rewilding

Britain’s £3 bus-fare cap has been a rare political hit—popular with passengers and hailed as proof that public transport can be affordable again. But in this episode, we explore why the policy also exposes a contradiction at the heart of Labour’s promise to devolve power. By imposing a blunt national cap, the government undercuts local control just as cities like Manchester fight to rebuild their own bus networks. We unpack why London’s publicly run buses thrive while deregulated routes elsewhere collapse—and ask whether scrapping the cap and handing the money to local leaders might actually deliver better, fairer transport where it’s needed most.https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/10/10/labour-is-reluctant-to-get-off-the-bus

Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa is centuries old—but it’s having a very modern moment. In this episode, we trace how a traditional Chinese cough syrup first brewed in the 1600s has gone global, with sales surging thanks to TikTok “biohacking,” celebrity endorsements, and viral tutorials in the West. We explore why ancient remedies suddenly feel appealing in a digital wellness age—and how trade tariffs and geopolitics now threaten to make this sticky, herbal staple more expensive abroad. Is this a timeless cure reborn, or just another algorithm-powered health craze?https://www.economist.com/business/2025/08/14/a-400-year-old-chinese-cough-syrup-is-winning-over-westerners