logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2017
17m 18s

Babbage: Little green men

The Economist
About this episode
Earth has received a cluster of mysterious radio signals; some scientists believe they could be propelling alien spacecraft across the universe. So what's the verdict? Also, an outbreak of yellow fever in Brazil is decimating local monkey populations. And the true worth of spiders is revealed, in how much they eat

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Fed alert: can Trump fire a governor?
What does Donald Trump’s attempt to sack Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor, mean for the institution’s independence? Uruguay may soon legalise assisted dying. And why shooting clubs – and other community associations – are thriving in Germany. Listen to what matters most, fro ... Show More
23m 28s
Yesterday
Grand theft global: the business of street crime
Car and phone theft were once the preserve of petty crooks in London. Now they underpin a vast and spreading international criminal network. Why you should consider consulting a new oracle for making big life decisions: an economist. And the cult of the private chef.Listen to wha ... Show More
19m 37s
Aug 25
That warm buzzy feeling: malaria and climate change
As temperatures climb, mosquitoes will migrate to places where natural resistance to malaria is lower. More and more severe natural disasters will make for more breeding grounds. How to stop a deadly disease getting deadlier? In China’s cut-throat food-delivery war, absolutely no ... Show More
24m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
Global boiling, and crashed crafts on Mars
Sweltering temperatures wreak havoc across Europe and North America, so what needs to be done to bring them down? We hear from the Cambridge scientist who wants to create the largest ever DNA and health research programme for children and young people. And, did aliens crash-land ... Show More
27m 57s
Oct 2023
Dengue fever: What is it and why is it spreading?
The World Health Organization has warned that mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever are spreading to new regions. One reason is that warmer temperatures are allowing disease-carrying mosquitos to push into new areas. And wetter monsoons are giving them more time to reproduce ... Show More
14m 53s
Jan 2019
Welcome to Extraterrestrial
Why do we think we aren’t alone? Extraterrestrial explores tales of alien encounters. Millions of people claim to have seen alien life, but no one can confirm any of it. Is there a more grounded explanation for these incidents, or is there really something lurking out there? Ever ... Show More
1m 31s
May 2024
The Weekend Intelligence: Capturing UFOs
When a story about UFOs came across the desk of The Economist’s Michelle Hennessy, she was sceptical. A powerful cultural legacy of flying saucers and aliens is hard to ignore. But a recent flurry of interest from U.S defence agencies and NASA, stress the serious and scientific t ... Show More
42m 44s
Jun 2022
How the Black Death got its start
00:46 Uncovering the origins of the Black DeathThe Black Death is estimated to have caused the deaths of up to 60% of the population of Europe. However, despite extensive research, the origin of this wave of disease has remained unclear. Now, by using a combination of techniques, ... Show More
32m 12s
Feb 2023
Babbage: Will bird flu cause the next human pandemic?
Over the past 18 months, the largest-ever recorded avian influenza outbreak has decimated bird populations around the world. But recently bird flu has spread to mammals. Last week, Peru reported the deaths of 585 sea lions. If the virus has mutated to enable mammal-to-mammal tran ... Show More
41m 1s
Aug 2023
Congress, aliens and the search for E.T.
Crashed crafts, non-human biologics, and the Pentagon in possession of UFOs. Last week, former military and intelligence figures appeared as whistleblowers at a U.S. congressional hearing, testifying about the government’s apparent secrecy around UAPs: unidentified anomalous phen ... Show More
22m 31s
May 2021
Brazil’s bubble of bad information
A helicopter carrying vaccines is greeted in a by a crowd in an indigenous village – and the villagers are armed with bows and arrows. It’s just one, thankfully rare incident. But it’s a symptom of the creeping misinformation hitting some of Brazil’s most remote communities. But ... Show More
20 m
Jan 2019
Microbes: Secret Rulers of the World?
Microbes: Secret Rulers of the World?Brian Cox and Robin Ince return for a new series of the hugely popular, award-winning science/comedy show. This week they are joined by comedian Ed Byrne, oceanographer Dr Jon Copley and planetary scientist Prof Monica Grady to ask whether the ... Show More
46m 8s