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Babbage from The EconomistLearn about the latest innovations and discoveries in science and technology. Author: The Economist
Babbage is The Economists weekly podcast on science and technologynamed after Charles Babbage, the grandfather of computing. Explore the science changing the way we live from AI to genetics, particle physics and space travel with Alok Jha. This award-winning podcast features in-depth interviews with top scientists and special episodes investigating wellness trends. Published every Wednesday.If youre already a subscriber to The Economist, youll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription.For more information about Economist Podcasts, including how to get access, please visit our FAQs page here https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Language: en Genres: Science, Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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The bomb (part 1): were nuclear weapons inevitable?
Wednesday, 16 July, 2025
Where did the world’s most devastating weapon come from? In a four-part series, we go behind the scenes at America's nuclear laboratories to understand how a scientific-mystery story about the ingredients of matter led to a world-changing (and second-world-war-ending) bomb less than five decades later. Nuclear weapons have been central to geopolitical power ever since. Now America is seeking to modernise its stockpile and, in doing so, its scientists are pushing the frontiers of extreme physics, materials science and computing.In episode one, we look at the birth of nuclear physics—the science that emerged early in the 20th century to answer a mystery: what is an atom actually made of?Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Frank Close, a physicist and author of “Destroyer of Worlds”, a history of the birth of nuclear physics; Cheryl Rofer, a chemist who used to work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); and Nicholas Lewis, a historian at LANL.This episode features archive from the Atomic Heritage Foundation. Listen to episode two here.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.This is a free episode. To continue listening to “The Bomb”, you’ll need to subscribe.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
