Economist Podcasts The Economist

No energy source has ever increased as fast as solar photovoltaics. The technology will transform humanity’s energy consumption–even when the sun doesn’t shine. Many people associate champagne with success but wine collectors often shun it. Now global sales are fizzing (10:51). And many chief executives are early birds, not night owls. Does it really pay to be up with the larks (18:32)?
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Both the left and right are likely to do well in France’s upcoming parliamentary poll, with President Emmanuel Macron’s party squeezed in the middle. The snap election could leave the country in chaos. In America, recreational use of weed is now commonplace, but what impact does it have on users’ wellbeing (10:06)? And the joy of short books: the intense pleasure of a quickie (17:40).
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A new economy is emerging in space. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has driven down launch costs, helping to revolutionise space travel. As the cost of reaching Earth orbit falls, ideas for new businesses that could operate there are gathering steam—from manufacturing drugs to hotels and tourism. At the more exhilarating end of the spectrum is asteroid mining. Once a staple of science fiction, could it soon become reality?

Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Peter Diamandis, founder of the XPRIZE Foundation; Sara Russell of Britain’s Natural History Museum; Lindy Elkins-Tanton of Arizona State University; Mitch Hunter-Scullion of the Asteroid Mining Corporation; The Economist’s Geoff Carr and Laurence Knight.

For more on this topic, see our podcast on Starship at www.economist.com/starship-pod

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.

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The post-war generation reaped the benefits of peace and prosperity. Yet rather than spend that bounty, retired boomers are hoarding their riches–and upending economists’ expectations. The science of menstruation is baffling, partly because most animals don’t do it. Now clever innovations may help improve women’s health (9:13). And how old-fashioned wind-power is blowing new life into the shipping industry–and cutting its emissions (16:13).
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The Philippines could be the next big flashpoint in the South China Sea, the world’s most contested waters. China claims nearly the entire sea as its territory, asserting rights over waters and islands that South-East Asian countries consider their own. While most neighbouring countries avoid confronting China, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, the Philippines' president, is taking a stand.

David Rennie, The Economist's Beijing bureau chief, and Sue-Lin Wong, our South-East Asia correspondent, ask: what is China up to in the South China Sea? And can the Philippines do anything about it?

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.

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Much of Sudan has already collapsed into chaos. Now a crucial city may fall, the United Nations is belatedly scrambling to avert a bloodbath. Gary Lineker is a former footballer, broadcaster and podcast mogul. He also embodies Britain’s social aspirations (10:52). And the women in Japan who pay men to praise them (18:49). 
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