If there’s one symbol of the COVID fight it’s the face mask – but do we understand the consequences of a masked society? Professor Graham Martin, Director of Research at the Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute, tells Ros Taylor why the issue of masks isn’t as clear-cut as we think, why the social dynamic of masks is so important, and how we can improve ... Show More
Yesterday
Populism Will Eat Itself? – How Orbán’s defeat changes the game
The stunning defeat of Viktor Orbán and his “illiberal democracy” project in Hungary appears to be a humiliating blow to Trump, Vance, Putin, Farage, and populists across the world. (Who will host their get-togethers now?) But is it really the beginning of the end for far-right a ... Show More
30m 17s
Apr 2024
Sharrona Pearl, "Mask" (Bloombury, 2024)
From the theatre mask and masquerade to the masked criminal and the rise of facial recognition software, masks have long performed as an instrument for the protection and concealment of identity.
Even as they conceal and protect, masks – as faces – are an extension of the self. A ... Show More
30m 49s
Aug 2020
TMHS 424: Breathe Again: From Miasmatic Disease To Modern Day Misconceptions
What do we actually know about virus transmissibility, the efficacy of face masks, and the implications of wearing a face covering? It turns out, it takes a lot of work to get to the bottom of what the data truly says. Articles circulating on social media are often misleading—omi ... Show More
1h 33m
Aug 2020
Strange News: The Pentagon and Aliens, Psuedocide Foiled by Typo, Man in Prosthetic Mask Robs Casino
<p>Law enforcement finally catches up with a mysterious grifter using CIA-level prosthetic mask technology. A man attempts to fake his death and forgets to run spellcheck. Uncle Sam gets increasingly weird about UFOs, yet again changing the offical story about government-supporte ... Show More
52m 45s
Feb 2021
#233 — The Groves of Misinformation
Sam Harris speaks with Zeynep Tufekci about the problem of misinformation and group-think. They discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, the early failures of journalists and public health professionals to make sense of it, the sociology of mask wearing, the problem of correcting instituti ... Show More
50m 55s