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English. French. Italian. Hindi. Greek. Russian. All these different languages can trace their roots to the same origin: Proto-Indo-European, spoken in 4000 BC in the steppe that crosses from Eastern Europe to Central Asia. Whether by migration, diffusion or conquest, the Indo-European languages spread west across Europe, east across Central Asia, and southeast towards India. Laura Spinney writes about Proto-Indo-European—which never existed in a written form—and its many descendants in her latest book Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global (William Collins / Bloomsbury: 2025). Laura Spinney is the author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World (PublicAffairs: 2017), which has been translated into more than a dozen languages, and two novels. Her science writing has appeared in The Atlantic, National Geographic, Nature, The Economist, The Guardian, and elsewhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Laura Spinney discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Laura Spinney is a writer and science journalist. Her writing on science has appeared in The Guardian, The Economist, Nature and National Geographic, among others. She is the author of two novels, The Doctor (2001) and The Quick (2007), and a collection of oral history, Rue Centrale (2013). Her bestselling non-fiction account of the 1918 flu pandemic, Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World (2017), was translated into more than 20 languages. Her latest book, Proto: How Once Ancient Language Went Global, the story of the Indo-European languages, appeared in 2025. She lives in Paris. Osmothèque – international perfume archive in Versailles. Conserves 4,000 perfumes, of which 800 have “disappeared” Studs Terkel. Legendary American broadcaster, writer, actor and historian Circus elephants, or rather their owner-handlers. A dying breed, as they should be, but they deserve our compassion and respect Papuan languages. Nearly 900 of them, vast majority of which are undocumented Gloria! 2024 Italian-Swiss film, directorial debut of Margherita Vicario Marija Gimbutas. Lithuanian-born archaeologist who got it right on the word's largest language family, Indo-European This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm
The Delta variant is continuing its deadly march -- particularly among those who haven't been vaccinated. It's also draining the optimism of only a few months ago that the U.S. had turned the corner on COVID-19. For perspective, we look back to the far deadlier influenza pandemic of 1918: how it started; how it was treated; how it divided people; how it ended; and what it helped create. Laura Spinney, author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918, and How it Changed the World joins Josh Robin to discuss the parallels.
The recurrence of pandemics is an unfortunate reality in human history. Leaving a devastating trail of suffering and death, they disappear from public memory until such time that the demons surface again. Academic and author Chinmay Tumbe in his recent book, Age of Pandemics (1817-1920): How They Shaped India and the World, chronicles the many facets of the cholera, plague and influenza pandemics, which claimed over 70 million lives between 1817 and 1920 with India being the epicentre in all these episodes. In the first truly global treatment of one of the worst pandemics of all time, Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World, author and science journalist Laura Spinney delves into lesser known details of that forgotten disaster. In conversation with surgeon and author Ambarish Satwik, they touch upon the science and psychology of pandemics and lessons from the past that may make us better understand the potential onset of zoonotic diseases in the future.
Recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving herd immunity won't be possible, Laura Spinney argues, unless we prioritize immigrant communities. This week Ali talks to Laura, a science journalist and author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World, about why protecting ourselves is impossible without protecting the most vulnerable.
Why has the vaccine rollout turned nasty? (00:45) What's the sex abuse scandal rocking France's elite? (16:55) Have artists run out of new ideas? (28:35)With Daily Telegraph columnist Matthew Lynn; science journalist and author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 Laura Spinney; Spectator contributor Jonathan Miller; journalist Anne-Elisabeth Moutet; Dean Kissick, New York editor of Spike Art Magazine; and Eddy Frankel, visual art editor of Time Out magazine. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Max Jeffery, Alexa Rendell and Matt Taylor.
Why has the vaccine rollout turned nasty? (00:45) What's the sex abuse scandal rocking France's elite? (16:55) Have artists run out of new ideas? (28:35) With Daily Telegraph columnist Matthew Lynn; science journalist and author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 Laura Spinney; Spectator contributor Jonathan Miller; journalist Anne-Elisabeth Moutet; Dean Kissick, New York editor of Spike Art Magazine; and Eddy Frankel, visual art editor of Time Out magazine. Presented by Lara Prendergast. Produced by Max Jeffery, Alexa Rendell and Matt Taylor.
Season 2 of Life and Books and Everything is here! Kevin DeYoung, Justin Taylor, and Collin Hansen sit down together to discuss their summer reading lists, how to balance the need for safety and the need to trust God's sovereignty in the pandemic, Grace Community Church and their choice to gather indoors for services in California, and should the Big 10 have canceled?This episode is brought to you by Crossway. As Kevin says on this episode, "There are lots of Christian publishers, but with Crossway, you know that you have men and women working there who care very much about the content about the truth of God's word, not just selling books—every book publisher has to sell some books but—more importantly, they want to edify and build up the church." In particular, we want to highlight the book by Dane Ortlund, 'Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers.' Some say that, "this book is like J. I. Packer's Knowing God," others say, "this is the best book I've read in a decade." There is lots of high praise for Gentle and Lowly, by Dane Ortlund, so please check it out. Timestamps: Introduction + Book Giveaway Announcement with Crossway [0:00 - 4:50] Summer Reading [4:50 - 29:47] Collin's summer reading: The Future of Christian Marriage by Mark Regnerus Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide by Tony Horwitz The Minutemen and Their World by Robert A. Gross Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church by Paull David Tripp Justin's summer reading: Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz Redeeming the Great Emancipator by Allen C. Guelzo Reconstruction: A Very Short Introduction by Allen C. Guelzo Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War by Tony Horwitz The Panic Virus: The True Story Behind the Vaccine-Autism Controversy by Seth Mnookin Kevin's summer reading: Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura SpinneyThe Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race In America by Shelby Steele Manliness Paperback by Harvey C. Mansfield Great Society: A New History by Amity Shlaes How can we understand the balance between the pursuit of safety and absolute confidence in God’s sovereignty? [29:47 - 45:38]Grace Community Church and their choice to gather indoors for services in California and the challenges facing churches in the pandemic [45:38 - 59:50]Should the Big 10 have canceled? [59:50 - 1:11:40]
When looking back at pandemics in modern history, the 1918 Spanish influenza stands out. It took the lives of somewhere between 50 and 100 million people — and while it devastated the countries of the Global North, it took its greatest toll in the Global South. Science writer Laura Spinney reflects on the similarities — and significant differences — between the Spanish flu and Covid-19. She discusses how the pandemic took hold at the end of WW1 and struck down the young, and how many of the affected countries adopted universal healthcare in its wake. (Encore presentation.) Resources: Laura Spinney, Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World PublicAffairs, 2017 The post Lessons from the Spanish Influenza appeared first on KPFA.
The Spanish Flu of 1918 was one of the first global pandemics in modern recorded history. Government reactions to it may seem familiar - quarantines, an emphasis on hygiene, and often mixed signals as political agendas struggled to reconcile themselves with public health policy. So, to unpack some of the lessons we can learn from the pandemic which occurred over a century ago, we speak to Laura Spinney, science journalist and author of the book, ‘Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World’
Sara Davies joins host Hamsini Hariharan to discuss global health governance in light of the pandemic and the future of the World Health Organisation.For questions or comments, reach out to the host on twitter @HamsiniH (https://twitter.com/HamsiniH ) or onInstagram @statesofanarchy ( https://instagram.com/statesofanarchy )Read More:Containing Contagion: The Politics of Disease Outbreaks in South East Asia- Sara Davies (https://www.amazon.com/Containing-Contagion-Politics-Outbreaks-Southeast/dp/1421427397/)Disease Diplomacy: International Norms and Global Health Security (https://www.amazon.com/Sara-Davies/dp/1421416484/)Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World - Laura Spinney (https://www.amazon.com/Pale-Rider-Spanish-Changed-World/dp/1610397673)The Politics of Fear - Michie Hofman and Sokhieng Au (https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Fear-M%C3%A9decins-Fronti%C3%A8res-Epidemic/dp/0190624477)Global Health Governance - Jeremy Youde (https://www.amazon.in/Global-Health-Governance-Jeremy-Youde-ebook/dp/B00CGGYEBC)Health security policy and politics: contemporary and future dilemmas - Sara Davies (https://doi.org/10.1080/10357718.2018.1537357)Why WHO needs a feminist economic agenda - Sara Davies (https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0140673620301100)
In this episode, we talk about that Jenga tower to the heavens, The Tower of Babel. This one event made the entire world pivot toward different languages, but there still are a lot of questions we want answered. How tall was this tower? Did God really take a casual stroll to check on things? And will you be Team Knox or Team Jamie when it's all said and done? MENTIONS Genesis 11 Genesis 10 Genealogy Breakdown Season 1, Episode 2: Noah Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World Forever Ziggurat Definition and Photos To get your "Fearfully and Wonderfully Weird" merch, head to knoxandjamie.com/shop! GENTLE REBUKE Our resident Bible scholar Erin Moon offers a gentle rebuke at the end of every episode. Erin is a Bible study editor and COO of The Popcast Media Group from Birmingham. Find her on Instagram. BIBLE BINGE SEMINARY Our Patreon supporters can get full access to this week’s Bible Binge Deep Dive. Become a partner. SHOW SPONSORS NET Bible: If you’ve ever gotten lost in translation or wondered why one Bible says a text one way and another has something else, the NET Bible is for you! You’ll have a deeper understanding of the beauty and shades of meaning in the Bible and discover a greater love for the Scriptures. Go to www.netbible.com to see this amazing Bible tool for yourself. Faithful Counseling: Faithful Counseling wants you to start living a happier life TODAY. If you’re ready to get going, visit FaithfulCounseling.com/biblebinge to join the over 500,000 people taking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional and get 10% off your first month! StoryWorth: Give your mom the most meaningful gift this year with StoryWorth. Get started right away without the need for shipping by going to storyworth.com/biblebinge and get $10 off your first purchase! Elizabeth’s Voice: Elizabeth’s Voice is empowering women around the globe with dignified jobs. Join them by signing up for their subscription service, Hope Mail! Head to elizabethsvoice.org/biblebinge for details & a promo code! THE POPCAST Check out our other podcast: The Popcast with Knox and Jamie.It's a weekly show about pop culture where we educate on the things that entertain, but don't matter. Here is our suggested Popcast starter playlist. Follow The Bible Binge on Socials: Instagram| Twitter| Facebook
A century ago a deadly flu virus swept the planet, uniting the world in a disaster on a par with World War One.Over 50 million people died. Social distancing was put in place but drugs were ineffective, there was no vaccine, and in many places medicine could not cope. The world recovered but was never the same again. What can the last great pandemic teach us about how to combat Covid-19 today? Three world experts join Bridget Kendall: Laura Spinney, science journalist and author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World;. Svenn Erik Mamelund, historical demographer and research professor at Oslo Metropolitan University; Siddharth Chandra, director of the Asian Studies Centre and professor at James Madison College, Michigan State University. (Photo: Japanese school girls wear protective masks to guard against the influenza outbreak. Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)
This show originally aired on July 25, 2018. Two years ago, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ran an intricate simulation of a rapidly spreading pandemic with government leaders to talk about the difficult ethical questions that arise in the event of a pandemic and the same questions we are confronting today. They learned what had to be done in the event of a real "Clade X". We haven't done it. The CDC said another pandemic was coming and that there was a good chance it President Trump would be confronted with it just as the two presidents before him. Yet, he cut funding for pandemic preparedness that has helped curb prior deadly global outbreaks and rid his administration of scientific advisors. Just under 150 million died globallyby the end of the Johns Hopkins simulation. It doesn't have to end this way or when the next pandemic hits. But the threat won't go away simply because we choose to ignore it. GUESTS: Ed Yong - Science writer for The Atlantic and is the author of I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life. (@edyong209) Eric Toner - Senior Scholar with the John Hopkins Center for Health Security and Senior Scientist for John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Environmental Health and Engineering. (@JHSPH_CHS) Laura Spinney - Science journalist and the author of most recently, Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed The World. (@lfspinney) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In March, President Trump blamed our global pandemic on China. When that didn't work, he blamed the World Health Organization (WHO) for not responding quickly enough to the virus. When that didn't work, he blamed governors for not getting their own supplies. Now, he says immigrants will take away American jobs. The Bible defines a scapegoat as one of two kid goats. One goat was sacrificed and the living “scapegoat” was supposed to absorb the sins of the community and carry them into the wilderness. Is that what's happening here? Are the president's scapegoats supposed to carry away the sins of Mr. Trump? Also this hour: Politics and our human need for a scapegoat has defined the way we name diseases almost as much as the goal of accurately describing a threat to public health. And, the story of one of our earliest scapegoats, the sin-eater. GUESTS: Graeme Wood is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Way of the Strangers: Encounters With the Islamic State (@gcaw) Lili Loofbourow writes about culture, gender, and politics for Slate (@Millicentsomer) Laura Spinney is a science journalist and author who has been published in National Geographic, Nature and The Economist, among others. Her latest book is Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World. (@lfspinney) Thomas Lynch is a poet and author of five collections of poems and four books of essays, including The Sin-Eater: A Breviary. His latest book of essays is The Deposition: New and Selected Essays On Being and Ceasing To Be. He has been a funeral director since 1974. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The influenza outbreak of 1918 was the deadliest pandemic in recent history, killing an estimated 50 million to 100 million people aroundthe world. And it bears some striking similarities to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Laura Spinney, science journalist and author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World, talks about what we can learn from this century-old tragedy.
In the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts, I speak with Professor Phil Cowley, one of Britain’s leading political scientists, co-author for several general elections of authoritative Nuffield study and someone who casts the net so widely in his research that I occasionally appear in his footnotes. Phil’s been on my list of possible guests for a while, but I particularly wanted to talk to him now as he’s currently living in Hong Kong, somewhere that’s been much in the news here in the UK for comparisons over how coronavirus is being tackled in each place. We also talk about what this all means for British politics, and Phil's picks for books to read at the moment. Show notes Martin Kettle's piece on the possible (non-)impact of coronavirus on politics. Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World by Laura Spinney - Amazon / Waterstones. Agent Jack by Rob Hutton - Amazon / Waterstones. Electoral Shocks: The Volatile Voter in a Turbulent World - Amazon / Waterstones. Phil Cowley's excellent books - Amazon / Waterstones. Phil Cowley on Twitter.
When looking back at pandemics in modern history, the 1918 Spanish influenza stands out. It took the lives of somewhere between 50 and 100 million people — and while it devastated the countries of the Global North, it took its greatest toll in the Global South. Science writer Laura Spinney reflects on the similarities — and significant differences — between the Spanish flu and Covid-19. She discusses how the pandemic took hold at the end of WW1 and struck down the young, and how many of the affected countries adopted universal healthcare in its wake. Resources: Laura Spinney, Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World PublicAffairs, 2017 The post Lessons from the Spanish Influenza appeared first on KPFA.
Patt Morrison talks with Laura Spinney a British science journalist, novelist, and non-fiction writer. Her latest book is Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World.
We speak with Laura Spinney, science journalist and author of "Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World" and discuss the dreadful disease that claimed 50-100 million lives, more than the Great War that preceded it. The so-called 'Spanish Flu' caused global damage but also caused scientists to reflect and develop better science and public health strategies. And it forced new measures implemented by governments. But how much have we learned those lessons? We discuss these topics.
What is "original Buddhism?" In the absence of texts from the Buddha's times, how can we know what the Buddha really taught? And how does the corpus of later texts help us understand Buddhism? Treeleaf Zendo (https://www.treeleaf.org) Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World (https://amzn.to/39EQqLg) Stephen Batchelor (https://www.stephenbatchelor.org/index.php/en/) The Circle of the Way: A Concise History of Zen from the Buddha to the Modern World (https://amzn.to/2ud7QQ7) Buddhism in the Shadow of Brahmanism (https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_0AE49B543099.P001/REF.pdf) Theme music by Kiku Day (http://www.kikuday.com). To submit a question, send an email to podcast@zen-of-everything.com. If you like the podcast, please subscribe in iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-next-track/id1116242606) or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.
In 1918, the Spanish flu killed four to five percent of the entire global population. Infectious disease experts all agree that another pandemic is coming. It's when, not if. But are we ready for it? Today's episode explores what happens when a pandemic strikes, what the most likely candidates are, and whether or not the world is ready. Guests: Ed Yong, science writer at The Atlantic Nahid Bhadelia, assistant professor at Boston University School of Medicine and the Medical Director of Special Pathogens Unit (SPU) at Boston Medical Center Laura Spinney, science writer and author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World Nicola Twilley, co-host of Gastropod and author of a forthcoming book on quarantine Further Reading: The Next Plague is Coming. Is America Ready? Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World Yuuyaraq: The Way of the Human Being by Harold Napoleon Strengthening Health Systems While Responding to a Health Crisis: Lessons Learned by a Nongovernmental Organization During the Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic in Sierra Leone Medicine’s Long, Thin Supply Chain What Bill Gates Fears Most Predicting virus emergence amid evolutionary noise Nebraska’s Biocontainment Unit The Terrifying Lessons of a Pandemic Simulation Clade X Livestream CDC Director: Why I Don’t Support A Travel Ban To Combat The Ebola Outbreak Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism How prepared is the world for the next epidemic? This tool shows most countries are not. Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth. The intro music is by Asura and the outtro music is by Hussalonia. The voices from the future this episode were provided by Paul Krueger, Sean Raines, and Sameer Ajmani. The episode art is by Matt Lubchansky. Get in touch: Twitter, Facebook, info@flashforwardpod.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Spanish flu of 1918-1920 was one of the greatest human disasters of all time. It infected a third of the people on Earth–from the poorest immigrants of New York City to the king of Spain, Franz Kafka, Mahatma Gandhi and Woodrow Wilson. But despite a death toll of between 50 and 100 million people, it exists in our memory as an afterthought to World War I. In this gripping narrative history, Laura Spinney traces the overlooked pandemic to reveal how the virus travelled across the globe, exposing mankind's vulnerability and putting our ingenuity to the test. As socially significant as both world wars, the Spanish flu dramatically disrupted–and often permanently altered–global politics, race relations and family structures, while spurring innovation in medicine, religion and the arts. It was partly responsible, Spinney argues, for pushing India to independence, South Africa to apartheid and Switzerland to the brink of civil war. It also created the true “lost generation.” Drawing on the latest research in history, virology, epidemiology, psychology and economics, Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World (PublicAffairs, 2017) masterfully recounts the little-known catastrophe that forever changed humanity. Jeremy Corr is the co-host of the hit Fixing Healthcare podcast along with industry thought leader Dr. Robert Pearl. A University of Iowa history alumnus, Jeremy is curious and passionate about all things healthcare, which means he's always up for a good discussion! Reach him at jeremyccorr@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright explore how diseases are named and the political, economic and social impact of disease names past and present. Joining them are Laura Spinney, Science journalist and author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World and Professor Peter Piot; Ebola co-discoverer and AIDS pioneer, currently Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and professor of global health. Producer: Sarah Addezio.