My guest today is Paul Seabright, Professor of Economics at the University of Toulouse and the author of a new book 'The Divine Economy: How Religions Compete for Wealth, Power, and People.' We spoke about what membership of a religious community offers people, and why it isn't necessarily irrational for poor people to give a large proportion of their i…

My guest today is Wendy Kline, Historian of Medicine at Purdue University and author of books including 'Exposed: The Hidden History of the Pelvic Exam', 'Coming Home: How Midwives Changed Birth', and 'Bodies of Knowledge: Sexuality, Reproduction, and Women’s Health in the Second Wave.' We spoke about the rise of gynaecology and obstetrics as medical di…

The audio version of this essay, narrated by me.

My guest today is Paul Morland, Associate Research Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London and the author of ‘The Human Tide,’ ’Tomorrow’s People,’ and most recently ‘No One Left.’ We spoke about global fertility trends, pronatalism and policy interventions that could help solve declining birth rates, and the role of culture and technology in fertility…

I'll be re-releasing six episodes from the early days of the podcast over the course of my maternity leave. This month, my archived interview is with the writer and archeologist Stone Age Herbalist, author of the Grey Goose Chronicles substack, and also the book Berserkers, Cannibals & Shamans: Essays in Dissident Anthropology. Plus a new collection of …

My guest today is Michaeleen Doucleff, correspondent for NPR radio and author of the bestselling book 'Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us about the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans.' We spoke about the ways in which Western parenting radically diverges from the human norm, why parenting books are a product of atomis…

My guest today is Joshua Dale, professor at Chuo University in Tokyo and author of 'Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired our Brains and Changed the World'. We spoke about the historical roots of the Japanese passion for cuteness, the differences in pre-modern attitudes towards children in Japan and Europe, the role of domestication syndrome in the developme…

My guest today is Roanne van Voorst – anthropologist, futurist, assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam, and author of 'Six in a Bed: The Future of Love.'

We spoke about sex robots, including Roanne's chilling encounter at a sex robot brothel in Vienna. We also spoke about other kinds of romantic virtual relationships with AI that are becomin…

I'll be re-releasing six episodes from the early days of the podcast over the course of my maternity leave. This month, my archived interview is with Dr Abigail Favale, a writer and professor in the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. She has an academic background in feminist literary criticism, and now writes and teaches…

My guest today is David Goodhart, founder of Prospect magazine and Head of Demography, Immigration & Integration at Policy Exchange. David's new book, 'The Care Dilemma: Caring Enough in the Age of Sex Equality,' is the final instalment of a trilogy of books on class, economics, and the family that began with 'The Road to Somewhere' and 'Head Hand Heart…

My guest today is Mike Israetel, bodybuilding and fitness consultant, former Professor of Nutrition and Sport Science, and co-founder of Renaissance Periodization. We spoke about why women benefit from lifting heavy weights even more than men do in terms of metabolic health, longevity, bone density, and day-to-day living. Will you risk getting bulky? Is…