Works in Progress Podcast

A deep dive into AI's real-world impact on medical imaging and why early benchmark wins did not equal clinical dominance. Discussion of commercial tools, narrow automation for single findings, and why models stumble outside test conditions. Coverage of data limits, training biases, regulatory lanes for assistive versus autonomous tools, and how institutional incentives shape adoption.

They puzzle over why pre-1930 buildings rarely look ugly and test whether survivorship bias explains it. They debate whether changing tastes, status signaling, or labor and production costs killed ornament. They explore how materials, symmetry, fractal detail and visual hierarchy shape what people call beautiful. The discussion weighs cultural history against economic and social explanations.

They explore deliberately cooling the planet by reflecting sunlight using aerosols, inspired by volcanic eruptions. The discussion covers how aerosols change Earth’s energy balance and how much sulfur might be needed. Listeners hear proposals for phased field tests, monitoring needs, governance challenges, and the logistics and costs of potential deployment.

A tour of Japan's bold urban replanning tool that pooled tiny plots, redrew streets and sold reserve land. It covers how supermajority ballots and profit-sharing solved coordination and free-rider problems. The story links historical rebuilding, postwar scaling and global experiments showing a political-economy approach to remaking cities.

Aria Shrecker, editor and longevity writer, explains long-lived animal strategies in plain terms. She explores naked mole-rat social life, regenerative tricks like lobsters and axolotls, ultra-slow metabolisms in sharks and whales, sedentary clams, cancer-resistant elephants, and how these patterns inform human lifespan debates. Short, curious, and full of surprising animal stories.

A deep look at South Korea's dramatic fertility collapse and its global warning. Discussion of career–motherhood conflicts and brutal work culture that push women out of the workforce. Examination of costly parenting rituals, hagwon-driven education pressure, and the financial strain on families. Exploration of declining marriage, past antinatal policies, and whether policy can realistically reverse the trend.

A lively dive into the cholesterol revolution and how scientists learned to lower heart disease risk. They trace statins' fungal origins and the rise of PCSK9 antibodies, siRNA drugs, and oral peptide contenders. The conversation covers how cholesterol travels, why LDL drives atherosclerosis, and why modern genetics and chemistry sparked a new wave of lipid therapies.

Pieter (Peter), a European commentator and researcher on technology, labour markets, and industrial policy, explains why Europe has slowed. He discusses missing tech superstars, labour‑law rigidities that raise firing costs, fragmentation from EU directives, and energy and capital constraints. Short, sharp takes on regulation, works councils, and what reforms like flexicurity might change.

Mark Koyama, economic historian and George Mason professor, explores historical inflation crises. He traces Rome’s coin debasement, Diocletian’s price edicts, Weimar hyperinflation’s social fallout, Soviet price liberalization and policy tradeoffs. Short, vivid stories show how money shocks reshape politics, institutions and public trust.

Alex Chalmers, researcher and writer on energy regulation, and Ben Southwood, policy and energy commentator, dive into nuclear history and national contrasts. They explore why costs soared, France’s large-scale success, safety rules that inflated price, public fear of radiation, and whether small modular reactors or policy fixes could revive nuclear’s role.