In Depth, Out Loud

Follow In Depth, Out Loud
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

A selection of long form stories written by academic experts for The Conversation UK and read out loud for your listening pleasure.

The Conversation


    • Dec 9, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 22m AVG DURATION
    • 31 EPISODES


    More podcasts from The Conversation

    Search for episodes from In Depth, Out Loud with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from In Depth, Out Loud

    The inside story of the CIA v Russia

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2022 29:22


    The inside story of the CIA v Russia – from cold war conspiracy to ‘black' propaganda in Ukraine. Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, a professor emeritus of American history at the University of Edinburgh, on what history tells us about the CIA's influence today.You can read the text version of this in-depth article here. The audio version is read by Sam Scholl in partnership with Noa, News Over Audio. Listen to more articles from The Conversation, for free, on the Noa app. The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves by Lee Rosevere. In Depth Out Loud is produced by Gemma Ware. This story was edited by Mike Herd and came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights. You can read more stories in the series here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The 12 best ways to get cars out of cities

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2022 25:18


    What is the best way to reduce car use in cities? Kimberly Nicholas, an associate professor of sustainability science at Lund University, looks at the evidence from across Europe.You can read the text version of this in-depth article here. The audio version is read by Adrienne Walker in partnership with Noa, News Over Audio. Listen to more articles from The Conversation, for free, on the Noa app. The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves by Lee Rosevere. In Depth Out Loud is produced by Gemma Ware. This story was edited by Paul Keavney and Mike Herd and came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights. You can read more stories in the series here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    How the future of shopping was shaped by its past

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2022 26:24


    How pop-ups, home delivery and fast fashion go back as far as the 1800s. Rachel Bowlby, professor of comparative literature at UCL tells the story of how the pandemic changed the way we shop – with many ‘new' initiatives actually reinventing old ways of doing things.You can read the text version of this in-depth article here. The audio version is read by Jane Wing in partnership with Noa, News Over Audio. Listen to more articles from The Conversation, for free, on the Noa app. The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves by Lee Rosevere. In Depth Out Loud is produced by Gemma Ware. This story was edited by Paul Keavney and Mike Herd and came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights. You can read more stories in the series here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    The discovery of insulin: a story of monstrous egos and toxic rivalries

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2022 26:57


    A tale of monstrous egos, toxic rivalries and injustices behind the discovery of insulin. Kersten Hall, author and honorary fellow at the school of philosophy, religion and history of science at the University of Leeds, recounts the story of feuding scientists behind the discovery of insulin. You can read the text version of this in-depth article here. The audio version is read by Martin Buchanan in partnership with Noa, News Over Audio. Listen to more articles from The Conversation, for free, on the Noa app. The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves by Lee Rosevere. In Depth Out Loud is produced by Gemma Ware. This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights supported by Research England. You can read more stories in the series here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Climate crisis: how science fiction can inspire humanity's response

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2021 23:57


    How science fiction's hopes and fears can inspire humanity's response to the climate crisis. Chris Pak, lecturer in English Literature at Swansea University, explores the history of science fiction stories about terraforming, geoengineering, space and climate change – and why they're vital reading ahead of the November 2021 UN climate change conference in Glasgow. You can read the text version of this in-depth article here. The audio version is read by Peter Hanly in partnership with Noa, News Over Audio. You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, for free, on the Noa app. The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves by Lee Rosevere. In Depth Out Loud is produced by Gemma Ware.This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights supported by Research England. You can read more stories in the series here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Wireheading: the AI version of drug addiction, and why experts are worried about it

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2021 31:58


    When people think about how AI might ‘go wrong', most probably picture malevolent computers trying to cause harm. But what if we should be more worried about them seeking pleasure? Thomas Moynihan and Anders Sandberg at the University of Oxford explain why AI experts are worried about wireheading, a phenomenon strangely akin to addiction in humans. You can read the text version of this in-depth article here. The audio version is read by Peter Hanly in partnership with Noa, News Over Audio. You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, for free, on the Noa app. The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves by Lee Rosevere. In Depth Out Loud is produced by Gemma Ware.This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights supported by Research England. You can read more stories in the series here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Why there aren't enough trees to offset society's carbon emissions – and there never will be

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2021 26:16


    There aren't enough trees to offset society's carbon emissions – and there never will be. Yet, Bonnie Waring, senior lecturer at the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and Environment, at Imperial College London argues that even if they can't save us from climate change, society still depends on forests.You can read the text version of this in-depth article here. The audio version is read by Jane Wing in partnership with Noa, News Over Audio. You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, for free, on the Noa app.The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere. In Depth Out Loud is produced by Gemma Ware.This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights supported by Research England. You can read more stories in the series here.The Conversation is a charity. If you're able to support what we do, please consider donating here. Thank you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    How a Soviet miner from the 1930s helped create today's intense corporate workplace culture

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2021 24:14


    This episode of The Conversation's In Depth Out Loud podcast features the story of a young Soviet miner named Alexei Stakhanov, and how the work ethic he embodied in the 1930s has been invoked by managers in the west ever since.Stakhanov's staggering workload and personal commitment to his job as a miner in Stalin's Soviet Union became the embodiment of a new human type and the beginning of a new social and political trend known as “Stakhanovism”. Bogdan Costea, professor of management and society at Lancaster University, and Peter Watt, international lecturer in management and organisation studies at Lancaster University in Leipzig, argue that the spectre of this long-forgotten Soviet miner still haunts our workplace culture today.You can read the text version of this in-depth article here. The audio version is read by Les Smith in partnership with Noa, News Over Audio. You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, for free, on the Noa app.The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere. In Depth Out Loud is produced by Gemma Ware.This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights supported by Research England. You can read more stories in the series here.The Conversation is a charity. If you're able to support what we do, please consider donating here. Thank you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Why the concept of net zero is a dangerous trap

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2021 26:38


    This episode of The Conversation’s In Depth Out Loud podcast features prominent academics, including a former IPCC chair, rounding on governments worldwide for using the concept of net zero emissions to “greenwash” their lack of commitment to solving global warming.You can read the text version of this in-depth article here. The audio version is read by Les Smith in partnership with Noa, News Over Audio. You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, for free, on the Noa app. James Dyke, Senior Lecturer in Global Systems at the University of Exeter, Robert Watson, Emeritus Professor in Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia and Wolfgang Knorr, Senior Research Scientist in Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science at Lund University, write about the obvious dangers of the concept of net zero.They argue that they’ve arrived at the painful realisation that the idea of net zero has licensed a recklessly cavalier “burn now, pay later” approach which has seen carbon emissions continue to soar. It has also hastened the destruction of the natural world by increasing deforestation today, and greatly increases the risk of further devastation in the future.The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere.This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights supported by Research England. You can read more stories in the series here.The Conversation is a charity. If you're able to support what we do, please consider donating here. Thank you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Durex condoms: how their teenage immigrant inventor was forgotten by history

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2021 24:48


    This episode of The Conversation’s In Depth Out Loud podcast features the story of Lucian Landau, the forgotten man who invented the technology that made Durex boom. Jessica Borge, Digital Collections (Scholarship) Manager at King’s College London Archives and Research Collections and a Visiting Fellow in Digital Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, explains her research into who actually invented Durex condoms.She discovered that the technology behind Durex was invented by Lucian Landau, a Polish teenager living in Highbury and studying rubber technology at the former Northern Polytechnic (now London Metropolitan University). His story is fascinating. You can read the text version of this in-depth article here. The audio version is read by Adrienne Walker in partnership with Noa, the audio journalism platform.This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights supported by Research England. You can read more stories in the series here. The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Two doctors on the frontline of Liverpool's second wave

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2020 17:53


    This episode of The Conversation’s In Depth Out Loud podcast features a report from two doctors on the frontline of the second wave of coronavirus in Liverpool.Tom Wingfield, an infectious diseases physician at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the University of Liverpool, and Miriam Taegtmeyer, professor of global health at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, describe what it’s like for healthcare workers who continue to put their lives and those of their families on the line.They set out the problems they and their colleagues are facing around the country, some lessons we might be able to learn from the first wave, and some positive developments which will make the future a little brighter.You can read the text version of this in-depth article here. The audio version is read by Megan Clement and produced by Gemma Ware.This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Coronavirus Insights supported by Research England. The music is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere.In Depth Out Loud is made by the charity The Conversation. By bringing together academics and journalists, we generate articles and podcasts that are grounded in research expertise, but also engage with and set the news agenda. We believe that the sharing of knowledge in this way helps inform better decision making.If you’re able to support what we do, you can do so here. Thank you! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Charles Dickens: the truth about his death and burial

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2020 28:55


    This episode of The Conversation’s In Depth Out Loud podcast, features the work of Leon Litvack at Queen’s University Belfast on what happened after the death of Charles Dickens.His new research has uncovered the never-before-explored areas of the great author’s sudden death on June 9 1870, and his subsequent burial.Dickens’s death created an early predicament for his family. Where was he to be buried? Near his home (as he would have wished) or in that great public pantheon, Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey (which was clearly against his wishes)? But two ambitious men put their own interests ahead of the great writer and his family in an act of institutionally-sanctioned bodysnatching.You can read the text version of this in depth article here. The audio version is read by Michael Parker and edited by Gemma Ware.This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights. Sponsored by Research England, our Insights team generate in depth articles derived from interdisciplinary research. You can read their stories here, or subscribe to In Depth Out Loud to listen to more of their articles in the coming months.In Depth Out Loud is produced by The Conversation UK. We’re an independent news media outlet that exists purely to take reliable, informed voices direct to a wide audience. We’re a charity, with no wealthy owner nudging an editorial line in one direction or another. The only opinion we hold is that knowledge is crucially important, and must be made widely available to help as many people as possible understand the world and make informed decisions. We’re in the middle of a donations campaign so if you can help us do what we do, please click here. And if you’ve already supported what we do, we want to say a massive thank you!The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Lockdown lessons from the history of solitude

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2020 22:15


    This episode of The Conversation’s In Depth Out Loud podcast, features the work of David Vincent, historian at the Open University. He has spent the last few years looking into how people in the past managed to balance community ties and solitary behaviours. With the coronavirus crisis forcing many to self-isolate and limiting our sociability, this has never seemed more relevant.Solitude used to be restricted to enclosed religious orders and was thus a privileged experience of a male elite. It was treated with a mixture of fear and respect. Change was only set in motion by the Reformation and the Enlightenment, when new ideologies took hold and solitude slowly became something that anyone could acceptably seek from time to time. Most people in the West are now used to some regular form of solitude – but the reality of lockdown is making this experience far more extreme.The history of solitude has lessons for us in differentiating between being alone and feeling lonely. Similarly, it offers lessons for navigating the fragile boundary between life-enhancing and soul-destroying forms of solitary behaviour. You can read the text version of this in depth article here. This audio version is read and produced by Annabel Bligh. This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights. Sponsored by Research England, our Insights team generate in depth articles derived from interdisciplinary research. You can read their stories here, or subscribe to In Depth Out Loud to listen to more of their articles in the coming months.The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    What will the world be like after coronavirus? Four possible futures

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2020 26:59


    In this episode of The Conversation’s In Depth Out Loud podcast, Simon Mair, Research Fellow in Ecological Economics at the University of Surrey’s Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity, says we could use the coronavirus crisis to rebuild, produce something better and more humane. But we may slide into something worse.The responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are simply the amplification of the dynamic that drives other social and ecological crises: the prioritisation of one type of value over others. This dynamic has played a large part in driving global responses to COVID-19. So as responses to the virus evolve, how might our economic futures develop?From an economic perspective, there are four possible futures: a descent into barbarism, a robust state capitalism, a radical state socialism, and a transformation into a big society built on mutual aid. Versions of all of these futures are perfectly possible, if not equally desirable.You can read the text version of this in depth article here. The audio version is read by Michael Parker and edited by Gemma Ware.This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights. Sponsored by Research England, our Insights team generate in depth articles derived from interdisciplinary research. You can read their stories here, or subscribe to In Depth Out Loud to listen to more of their articles in the coming months.The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    How to model a pandemic

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2020 16:55


    In this episode of The Conversation’s In Depth Out Loud podcast, Christian Yates, senior lecturer in mathematical biology at the University of Bath, looks at how to model a pandemic.With basic mathematical models, researchers can begin to forecast the progression of diseases and understand the effect of interventions on the way diseases spread. With more complex models, we can start to answer questions about how to efficiently allocate limited resources or tease out the consequences of public health interventions, like closing pubs and banning gatherings.Insights from mathematical modelling are vital to ensure that authorities can prevent as many deaths as possible. As the coronavirus pandemic escalates, here’s a look inside the modelling that experts use to try and stay one step ahead of the virus.You can read the text version of this in depth article here. The audio version is read by Holly Squire and edited by Gemma Ware.This story came out of a project at The Conversation called Insights. Sponsored by Research England, our Insights team generate in depth articles derived from interdisciplinary research. You can read their stories here, or subscribe to In Depth Out Loud to listen to more of their articles in the coming months.The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere.The Conversation is a charity. We don't have adverts, we don't have corporate backing and we don't have a paywall. Our support comes largely from universities, charitable institutions and donations from people like you. If you'd like to invest in experts and help spread their message to a global audience, please consider donating here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Ritalin: a biography

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2020 22:17


    In this episode of The Conversation’s In Depth Out Loud podcast, we bring you the history of Ritalin by Matthew Smith, professor in health history at the University of Strathclyde.Just over 75 years ago, a new stimulant drug with the generic name of methylphenidate was born in the Swiss lab of chemical company Ciba. Like many drugs, its therapeutic purpose was unclear. But these were the days a scientist could take a drug home and test it on their spouse, which is exactly what Ciba scientist Leandro Panizzon did. Panizzon’s wife, Rita, reported that the drug gave her tennis game a real fillip. And so Panizzon originally named the drug Ritaline in his wife’s honour.Over the next three-quarters of a century, Ritalin would go on to wear many hats, including antipsychotic, tonic for worn-out housewives, drug to treat disruptive children, street drug and smart drug.But what does the future hold?You can read the text version of this in depth article here. The audio version is read by Annabel Bligh and edited by Laura Hood. You can read more in depth articles by academic experts on The Conversation.The music in In Depth Out Loud is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere. A big thanks to the Department of Journalism at City, University of London for letting us use their studios to record. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    How a Frenchman born 150 years ago inspired the extreme nationalism behind Brexit and Donald Trump

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2020 25:37


    Welcome back to The Conversation’s In Depth Out Loud podcast, the audio version of selected long form stories based on cutting edge research written by academic experts.This episode is based on two years of in-depth historical analysis by Pablo de Orellana and Nick Michelsen at King’s College London.After marching in the streets of Paris with the militant far-right group Génération Identitaire they met Charles, a young French man terrified by what he sees as the degeneration of Western culture.Nationalists such as Charles often refer to themselves as the New Right, or read thinkers who do. They are not all as radical as he is, but a diverse grouping of politicians share the stream of New Right ideas. These include Donald Trump, Brexiteers like Jacob Rees-Mogg, European nationalists like Marine Le Pen, Matteo Salvini and Viktor Orbán, and newcomers such as Santiago Abascal and his Vox party in Spain.But this research explains why the comparisons of the New Right with fascism are inaccurate and unhelpful. And they tell how they traced the ideology that is fuelling the extreme nationalism, racism and sexism they saw in the streets to an unlikely source: Maurice Barrès, a French man born 150 years ago.You can read the text version of the article here.This story came out of a new project at The Conversation called Insights. Sponsored by Research England, our Insights team generate in depth articles derived from interdisciplinary research. You can read their stories here, or subscribe to In Depth Out Loud to listen to more of their articles in the coming months.The music in this podcast is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere. A big thanks to the Department of Journalism at City, University of London for letting us use their studios to record. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Infertility through the ages, and how IVF helped change the way we think about it – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2018 17:37


    An audio version of a long read article on the history of infertility, 40 years after the first baby was born via IVF. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Decolonise science: time to end another imperial era – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2018 22:06


    This episode of the In Depth Out Loud podcast outlines the importance of finding a way to remove the inequalities promoted by modern science. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    How the humble potato fuelled the rise of liberal capitalism – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2018 18:33


    An audio version of an in depth article about the 18th century Enlightenment thinkers who promoted the potato as a way to build a healthy and productive society. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    How transhumanism’s faithful follow it blindly into a future for the elite – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2018 22:34


    This is the audio version of an in depth article from The Conversation, which explores the ethics of transhumanism. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Antisemitism: how the origins of history’s oldest hatred still hold sway today – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2018 20:22


    The audio version of an in depth article from The Conversation, which explores how antisemitism today is carved from and sustained by powerful precedents and inherited stereotypes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    The story of the Novichok nerve agents – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2018 19:56


    An audio version of an in depth article on the story of how the nerve agent used in an attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal was developed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    The heartbreaking story of the flying mathematicians of World War I – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2018 16:55


    The audio version of a long read on the daring mathematicians who took to the skies to help make early air travel safer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Africa’s missing Ebola outbreaks – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2018 18:23


    The audio version of a long read on the historical mistakes and cover ups that hampered the response to the devastating Ebola outbreak of 2014. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Why life expectancy in Britain has fallen so much that a million years of life could disappear by 2058 – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2018 20:43


    The audio version of a long read on stalling life expectancy in the UK. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    The IQ test wars: why screening for intelligence is still so controversial – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2018 14:52


    Since its invention, the IQ test has generated strong arguments in support of – and against – its use. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    How slimming became an obsession with women in post-war Britain – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2018 17:27


    The latest episode of The Conversation's In Depth, Out Loud podcast, an audio version of selected long-form stories. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Buggery, bribery and a committee: the story of how gay sex was decriminalised in Britain – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2017 16:06


    Listen to the fascinating in-depth story of the decriminalisation of gay sex in Britain. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Twenty years on from Deep Blue vs Kasparov: how a chess match started the big data revolution – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2017 18:14


    The latest episode of The Conversation's In Depth, Out Loud podcast, in which we read out a selection of long form stories. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    A visit to Pyongyang: the Kim dynasty’s homage to Stalinism – podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2017 14:26


    In this first episode of In Depth, Out Loud: an audio version of long form stories, a look at the cult of the Kim family. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Claim In Depth, Out Loud

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel