60 Words

For much of history, tree canopies were pretty much completely ignored by science. It was as if researchers said collectively, "It's just going to be empty up there, and we've got our hands full studying the trees down here! So why bother?" But then around the mid-1980s, a few ec ... Show More

There’s something rotten in the cows of Denmark. And Minnesota. And Wisconsin. And Idaho. What could cause a previously thriving herd of majestic dairy cattle to stop drinking water and start drinking … urine? A Danish farmer calls a special investigator, who takes one look at hi ... Show More

In an episode first aired back in 2025 on our sister show, Terrestrials, we take you on a musical journey all about beavers. Few mammals have a bigger positive impact on the planet than the beaver. With its bright orange buck teeth, the creature is an expert engineer that brings ... Show More

Book bans, disinformation, the wild world of the internet. Free speech debates are all around us. What were the Founding Fathers thinking when they created the First Amendment, and how have the words they wrote in the 18th century been stretched and shaped to fit a world they nev ... Show More

Over 100 years of conflict, two warring nations, five monarchs on either side and countless casualties in a dispute over claims to the throne: in this episode, <a href="https://podfollow.com/gone-medieval/view" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gone Medieval's</a> Matt Le ... Show More

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the idea of a just war. There were theories about a justified or noble war before the birth of Christ, but it was his reported teachings and a powerful influence, particularly on the Emperor Constantine, which set the standard which had to be kept ... Show More

The history of the English Language: 1066 is the most important date in the history of English.  Why does English have a "double vocabulary system"?  Why do some words feel casual, while others feel formal?  Why is English spelling so confusing?  The answers to those questions ca ... Show More

It is a war with many names - The Yom Kippur War, the Ramadan War, the October War. What is clear 50 years after it was fought is that it was a conflict that really did change the world. Michael Goldfarb tells the story of the war that began on the 6 October 1973 and ended less t ... Show More

<p>Today we have a great question from a student who asked about the difference between the words <a href= "https://www.espressoenglish.net/lifetime-vs-lifelong-vs-lifespan/"> <strong>lifetime, lifelong, and lifespan.</strong></a></p> <p>These words all seem to refer to the time ... Show More