Ologies with Alie Ward, Alie Ward
The American writer and broadcaster Alie Ward interviews specialists in just about anything for a fresh and comic look at science. So you get to find out all about the work of spidroinologists (experts in the properties of spider webs), vexillologists (flags), cnidariologists (jellyfish and coral), ludologists (games), corvid thanatologists (the death rituals of crows) and many more. It’s a fascinating and funny window into the astounding research going on in the world every day.
Cautionary Tales, Pushkin Industries
Tim Harford (of More or Less on Radio 4 and The Undercover Economist) anchors a set of true stories of times when people made terrible mistakes in the hope that the rest of us could learn from them. There are tales of a horrifying airship race; Galileo’s warning that making systems more complicated makes them more likely to fail; and the algorithms that lead us unwittingly into disaster. The stories are beautifully told by Alan Cumming, Toby Stephens, Russell Tovey and Malcolm Gladwell.
Impeachment, Explained, Vox
Ezra Klein hosts discussions on the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. The process can seem opaque, so the show couldn’t be handier to help you delight your friends with well-informed chat about what’s going on Stateside. As well as answering key questions on what happens at each stage and why, episodes include focus groups with US voters on how the process will affect their decisions come the next election.
