Works in Progress Out Loud
Audio recordings of articles published by Works in Progress, an online magazine about economics, science, technology and policy. Each episode reads aloud a full feature or essay from worksinprogress.co, so listeners can hear the arguments and reporting rather than read them. The original written pieces, along with their art, graphs and sources, remain available on the magazine's website. The show is aimed at readers interested in in-depth, evidence-based discussion of ideas about progress and how to achieve it.
Episodes
The evolution of bacteria
Generations of microbes evolve in hours, not millennia. By speeding up Darwin’s clock, scientists have watched evolution happen in real time, and it’s changed how we understand natural selection. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-evolution-of-bacteria-2/ And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co Words by
Washer woman: The invention of dishwashers
In 1965, married American women did 34 hours of housework weekly. By 2010, that had fallen to 18 hours. The dishwasher wasn’t the only cause, but it certainly helped. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/inventing-the-dishwasher/ And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co Words by Erin BraidRead by Stuart Ritchie
The triumph of logical English
English prose has become much easier to read. But shorter sentences had little to do with it. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-logical-triumph-of-english/ And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co Words by Henry Oliver Read by Stuart Ritchie Music by David Hackett
How to spot a monopoly: Measuring competition
Competition makes capitalism work. A new method for measuring it may be the holy grail of economic regulation. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/how-to-spot-a-monopoly/ And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co Words by Brian Albrecht Read by Stuart Ritchie Music by David Hackett
The death rays that guard life: We can use ultraviolet light to disinfect public spaces
We disinfect water before we drink it. Germicidal ultraviolet could make airborne disease as rare as those carried by water. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-death-rays-that-guard-life/ And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co Words by Gavriel Kleinwaks & Karam ElabdRead by Stuart Ritchie Music by D
Inflatable space stations: Creating artificial gravity so we can live in space
If we ever want to live in space, we need to work out a way of creating artificial gravity.You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/inflatable-space-stations/ And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co Words by Angadh Nanjangud Read by Stuart Ritchie Music by David Hackett
The algorithm will see you now: Why radiologists haven't been replaced by AI
Radiology combines digital images, clear benchmarks, and repeatable tasks. But replacing humans with AI is harder than it seems. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-algorithm-will-see-you-now/ And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co Words by Deena Mousa Read by Stuart Ritchie Music by David Hackett
Sunscreen for the planet: Geoengineering a cooler planet
The world is warming faster than we can cut emissions. Volcanoes are already cooling the planet, with particles that reflect sunlight. Maybe we can too. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/sunscreen-for-the-planet/ And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co Words by Daniele Visioni & Dakota Gruener Read by S
How to redraw a city: Land readjustment in Japan
Japan faced some of the world’s toughest planning problems. It solved them by letting homeowners replan whole neighborhoods privately by supermajority vote. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/how-to-redraw-a-city/ And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co Words by Anya Martin Read by Stuart Ritchie Music by Da
Two is already too many: Why South Korean birth rates are so low
Every hundred South Koreans today will have only six great-grandchildren between them. The rest of the world can learn from Korea’s catastrophe to avoid the same fate.You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/two-is-already-too-many/And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.coWords by Phoebe Arslanagic-LittleRead by Stu
