Babbage from The Economist

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Babbage is our weekly podcast on science and technology, named after Charles Babbage—a 19th-century polymath and grandfather of computing. Host Alok Jha talks to our correspondents about the innovations, discoveries and gadgetry shaping the world. Published every Wednesday.


If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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

Recent Episodes
  • AI for science: Demis Hassabis, Jennifer Doudna and James Manyika
    Nov 20, 2024 – 47:43
  • Burning ambition: how to end coal
    Nov 13, 2024 – 47:14
  • ADHD: just a different way of being normal
    Nov 6, 2024 – 42:56
  • The everything drugs: how Ozempic could change the world
    Oct 30, 2024 – 36:00
  • Europa Clipper: is there life on Jupiter's moons?
    Oct 23, 2024 – 42:53
  • Like a rocket: Starship and the US-China Moon race
    Oct 16, 2024 – 37:07
  • The 2024 Nobel prizes: a triumph for AI
    Oct 9, 2024 – 34:53
  • Certainly uncertain: navigating risk and probability with Sir David Spiegelhalter
    Oct 2, 2024 – 31:10
  • Silicon returns to Silicon Valley: chipmaking enters a new golden age
    Sep 25, 2024 – 40:47
  • A new prescription: Kathy Willis on how nature can improve your health
    Sep 18, 2024 – 35:39
  • AGI, part two: how to make artificial intelligence more like the human kind
    Sep 11, 2024 – 34:46
  • AGI, part one: what is artificial general intelligence?
    Sep 4, 2024 – 34:04
  • Sound idea: the revival of acoustic detection in warfare
    Aug 28, 2024 – 39:12
  • Cosmology in crisis, part two: new theories for the unknown
    Aug 21, 2024 – 40:59
  • Cosmology in crisis, part one: how to build a universe
    Aug 14, 2024 – 37:21
  • Winning formula: Amandine Aftalion on the mathematics of Olympic success
    Aug 7, 2024 – 31:49
  • Past lives: what can ancient DNA reveal about today’s world?
    Jul 31, 2024 – 44:34
  • How technology can strengthen democracy: an interview with Audrey Tang
    Jul 24, 2024 – 37:55
  • No-brainer: how better nutrition can make the world smarter
    Jul 17, 2024 – 39:21
  • SpookGPT: spycraft in the digital age
    Jul 10, 2024 – 41:53
  • Magic formula: why it’s so hard to replicate breast milk
    Jul 3, 2024 – 41:58
  • Rays of hope: the solar revolution
    Jun 26, 2024 – 43:41
  • Going platinum: the new economy in space
    Jun 19, 2024 – 44:35
  • AI meets reality: How to make robots for a human world
    Jun 12, 2024 – 42:33
  • Explaining the paranormal: An interview with Chris French
    Jun 5, 2024 – 38:43
  • AI and health part two: The medicine of the future
    May 29, 2024 – 43:45
  • Gone south: the global fallout of a melting Antarctica
    May 15, 2024 – 42:29
  • Babbage: Why disinformation is more dangerous than ever
    May 8, 2024 – 42:57
  • Babbage: How to be a better communicator—an interview with Charles Duhigg
    Apr 24, 2024 – 38:32
  • Babbage: The microbiome-medicine revolution
    Apr 17, 2024 – 45:53
  • Babbage: How to save coral reefs
    Apr 10, 2024 – 37:49
  • Babbage: The hunt for new worlds
    Apr 3, 2024 – 41:08
  • Babbage: The science that built the AI revolution—part four
    Mar 27, 2024 – 49:07
  • Babbage picks: SpaceX’s Starship reaches orbit
    Mar 27, 2024 – 9:01
  • Babbage: The science that built the AI revolution—part three
    Mar 20, 2024 – 38:59
  • Babbage: The science that built the AI revolution—part two
    Mar 13, 2024 – 42:33
  • Babbage picks: How smart are “smart-drugs”?
    Mar 13, 2024 – 4:24
  • Babbage: Could a vaccine finally end multiple sclerosis?
    Feb 28, 2024 – 39:13
  • Babbage picks: Let them dig
    Feb 28, 2024 – 5:47
  • Babbage: How AI is unravelling the secrets of the past
    Feb 14, 2024 – 40:16
  • Babbage picks: Can Russia catch up with the West in AI?
    Feb 14, 2024 – 7:22
  • Babbage: Cheaper, faster drones are intensifying warfare
    Feb 7, 2024 – 39:45
  • Babbage: Climate fiction meets climate fact
    Jan 31, 2024 – 40:47
  • Babbage picks: The potential for AI in developing countries
    Jan 31, 2024 – 7:51
  • Babbage: Can India become a scientific superpower?
    Jan 17, 2024 – 41:13
  • Babbage picks: Can Biden or Trump beat the odds of ageing?
    Jan 17, 2024 – 10:52
  • Babbage: The promise of lab-grown meat
    Jan 10, 2024 – 46:39
  • Babbage: Cat Bohannon on how females have shaped human evolution
    Jan 3, 2024 – 38:17
  • Babbage picks: How AI can help neuroscientists
    Jan 3, 2024 – 9:33
  • Babbage: Daniel Dennett on intelligence, both human and artificial
    Dec 27, 2023 – 26:36
Recent Reviews
  • Gilbert Coyle
    Paywall
    I loved this podcast with its intelligent interviews and fascinating subjects but it all changed. They have now locked all future episodes behind their Economist Podcast+ service. They have lost a listener.
  • Ray Bod
    Intelligent Content
    Babbage from Economist is great intelligent podcast for geeks to listen to.
  • -Real-Reviews
    Amazing content. TOO MANY ADS AND PADDING
    Please remove some or all of the ads and the padding at the beginning and end of each episode. It’s so excessive for regular listeners!
  • Dr. Strangelove!
    Weekly Tech Deep Dive
    Often a great source of information and interviews with experts. A lot of it goes over my head, but I appreciate being able to listening in to such learned people talking about their fields.
  • Jared Herbert
    Another solid podcast
    Another solid podcast offered by The Economist
  • garrekds
    New changes feel a bit overproduced
    There have been some changes to Babbage and Money Talks, adding more sound effects and focusing on a single theme in each show. I like the focus; before each episode felt like a summary of what I had already read in print. The effects feel very much overproduced. Babbage is the worst offender of these. These need to be toned down. “Checks and Balance” and “To A Lesser Degree” are the best Economist podcasts (IMHO) because of the depth, chemistry between hosts, and classic Economist insight. I’d like more of these aspects brought to Babbage and Money Talks.
  • BeijingJim
    Excellent podcast for anyone who appreciates science and technology!
    The Economist produces many fine podcasts that complement their world-class magazine, and this is the finest of those! I like Babbage above their other fine offerings due to their focus on science reporting. There are mercifully few adds, evocative introductions, and stellar substance within each well-selected topic: check it out and you will have no regrets!
  • Dave Pomerantz
    Enjoy everything except the narrator's voice
    Good podcast, well put together, well-researched with excellent interviews. Just personally I find Kenneth Cukier's delivery annoying and hard to listen to. You may enjoy it. Certainly worth a try.
  • Tony Le stephanois
    Consistently good
    Always interesting and inspiring. Haven’t missed an episode in years. Thank you Economist.
  • Palunargar
    Great topics
    Excellent interviews. Thanks!
  • Evskie
    Excellent!
    The Economist makes fantastic podcasts as a general rule, but Babbage is probably my favorite though. The topics are interesting and well presented. It is definitely worth subscribing!
  • Nnpvlv
    Babbage
    I love all podcasts from Economist team. Babbage delivers information on complex issues in easy to understand form with the right doze of entertainment. Thank you!
  • SuperChrisU
    Focus on technology, not ideology.
    The title says it all. If you’d stop the focus on ideology and bias unless there’s actually a real, legitimate case of bias present, that’d be fantastic. I’ll still keep an eye on your show, since I do enjoy the rest of it, but I’m not recommending it to anyone until this nonsense stops.
  • Cragman8
    Love The Honest Science
    Fantastic show. Dependably interesting and enlightening every week. Excellent scientists reporting directly on their own fields of expertise. Really great. Very non-political!!!!! Yes!
  • kvittsand
    Superb
    Kenneth Cukier is the best. Always something new and interesting here. Should include more sea shanties, though.
  • DETucker
    One of the best
    I’ve listened to a lot of science-focused podcasts, and Babbage stands out from the crowd, not only because of the depth of its coverage but also because of the quality of the writing. A joy to listen to.
  • vailiu
    Unsubscribing because of PMI advertising
    Like the content but after I heard PMI ad while listening decided to unsubscribe. See no other way to show by objection for taking money from such deadly business. Thanks for many interesting podcasts though...
  • smq6477
    One of the best science and tech podcasts
    The Economist suite of podcasts are excellent in general, however Babbage stands out from the rest! Highly recommended.
  • lleddil
    Excellent content & interviews
    This is the best science podcast I’ve found. Very good on COVID
  • August Consumer
    Very good show
    I learned more about COVID 19 from your show than from US shows. Thank you for being thorough in providing important information.
  • Cokepatricio
    Always Interesting Topics to Listen
    If you are “thirsty” to hear interesting stuff, this is a great stop!
  • Pmv10001
    Always great
    Babbage is always informative and witty, but today's show on the medical effects of Covid-19 was great. I listen to Nature, Science, Guardian's science show, Naked Scientist, and other podcasts but Babbage outdid them all this time.
  • iLoveToLearn
    Used to be 5-star - More variety needed
    I recommend you go back to the format of covering 3 topics that are quite different. Be sure each topic has 2 “Wow!, I did not know that!" elements. You have such big brains there at the Economist. It should be very doable. Do less AI and less global warming. Both are interesting, you just do it too often.
  • M Liu-S
    Highly relevant and interesting topics!
    Great interviewer and well picked interviewees
  • lingua203
    Current and informative
    This podcast will keep you up to date with current innovations.
  • PabloDeDubai
    Fascinating!
    I drop everything else to listen to Babbage as soon as it’s published every week! Ken has a fascinating way to delve into science and technology subjects that makes it addictive to listen to. I particularly enjoy the episodes dedicated to a single topic (the last one on AI was epic). So Ken, if you ever split Babbage into Babbage News and Babbage Themes, you’ve got a first subscriber here. And lastly, I really like your weird intonations, and believe it or not, I also find your jokes very funny ;)
  • Cat2581
    Excellent!
    Thoughtful, well produced, and extremely interesting!
  • andrew.conkling
    Excellent science reporting
    I have tried many science podcasts but this one is the best. It covers all manner of news in science & technology, and contains great reporting and/or interviews with the people involved. It's very informative and interesting, and somehow still only about 15 minutes long. Love it.
  • Chicharonnes
    Excellent
    I always learn something. The stories are engaging and easy to understand.
  • Open ones
    Fantastic Tech Podcast
    Listen to it on the way to work.
  • DamianMehers
    Excellent
    I'm a subscriber to the economist and enjoy this.
  • Pandapal83
    Great interviews, mediocre host
    Great topics, interviews and thought provoking discussions. Host asks good questions, but is no Anne McElvoy. Sometimes his voice is a bit annoying, like when he ends the podcast and always says this is the economist in a weird way.
  • G$€¥£
    Best of all possible podcasts
    Top podcast
  • annah_kim
    Accessible, Interesting, Fun
    I’ve been an Economist listener and a Baggage listener for a few years and can say that I have yet to find another podcast like Babbage. It presents new scientific discoveries in biology, technology, astronomy, etc. in a manner that is very easy to understand and that is fun to listen to. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening as well as hearing the hosts rise through the ranks over the years! Thanks guys!
  • Desquared2
    Babbage always B learning
    I always learning something
  • Zf88
    Love the Economist Podcasts, but Babbage is my favorite
    As a software developer I love this podcast. They look at the big picture on new and emerging issues and topics. Please keep it going! My only recommendation would be that I'd love longer episodes (they tend to be fairly brief)
  • Tracy169
    I do what I am told
    Dangerously good enough to replace reading the actual The Economist
  • $alamandr
    Makes me look forward to my daily commute
    Always covers extremely interesting topics and never disappoints.
  • Stevieze
    Great show
    Simple, broken down science and technology show. Learn something while being entertained.
  • Dzzzxx
    The best science and tech. Column ever.
    Love this column.
  • e^i*pi+1 = 0
    The cheeky music convinced me to rate it
    But seriously, absolutely top-shelf podcast
  • Macy bee
    A favorite
    Always good
  • GDRMatos
    Great podcast!
    Babbage is funny and instructive. As a nerdy guy, I really love this show!
  • happyfunjoy
    Quick summary
    This is a good summary of the tech and also science news. The economic analysis of this news is realistic.
  • HM2447
    Meaningful
    Who knew...? ..you do, now.
  • Matthew von der Ahe
    Sharp and fast and smart.
    Really good. Host Cukier and guests present quick, incisive, provocative stories on science and tech. Definitly worthwhile.
  • RaulFranklin
    Great sci/tech survey
    I look forward to this brisk little geek-fest each week.
  • Saj in ny
    so insightful
    so insightful
  • Puzzleman665
    Insightful and concise
    A must-listen
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