Intelligence Squared

In this episode, journalist Kamal Ahmed was joined by Jon Sopel, Dimple Ahluwalia and Matt Rowe to explore how cybersecurity has moved from a technical concern to a central force shaping economic growth, national security and public trust in an age of boundless intelligence. They examine why cyber resilience must go beyond reactive defence, and how stronger security can protect essential industries such as finance, healthcare and critical infrastructure while enabling innovation and confidence in a rapidly changing world. This episode was recorded live in London as part of Intelligence Squared and IBM's The Age to Come series. Next live event date: 24th Sept 2026. Find out more: www.intelligencesquared.com/the-age-to-come Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, science broadcaster Dr Güneş Taylor speaks with endocrinologist Dr Saira Hameed about her new book Signals: The Inside Story of Our Hormones. From exhaustion and infertility to appetite, mood and libido, Hameed explores the vast and often misunderstood hormonal system that regulates almost every aspect of human life. Drawing on patient stories and recent medical research, Hameed explains how hormones act as the body’s internal signalling network — and what happens when those signals misfire. The conversation examines new approaches to diagnosis and care, the discovery of previously unknown hormones linked to fat and metabolism, and the realities behind the growing wellness market around testosterone and male health. Dr Saira Hameed is a Consultant Endocrinologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and a Senior Tutor and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London. She is the author of Signals: The Inside Story of Our Hormones. Dr Güneş Taylor is a science broadcaster

From Brexit negotiations and the Cuban Missile Crisis to elections, auctions and everyday decision-making, game theory can offer powerful insights into how we navigate a world shaped by competing interests, cooperation and strategic choices. In this episode, Professor Michael Wooldridge joins Carl Miller to explore the surprising life lessons hidden within one of mathematics' most influential fields. Drawing on ideas from his new book Life Lessons from Game Theory: The Art of Thinking Strategically in a Complex World, Wooldridge explains how game theory can help us better understand conflict, human behaviour and truth.  Professor Michael Wooldridge the Ashall Professor of the Foundations of Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford, and a Senior Research Fellow at Hertford College. Carl Miller is an author, speaker and researcher at Demos, a think tank based in London, where he co-founded the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media in 2012. --- If you'd lik

Professor Turi King, Director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, is known for leading the genetic investigation identifying Richard III and advising on the Mary Jane Kelly case (the last victim of Jack the Ripper). She co-presents the BBC’s DNA Family Secrets with Stacey Dooley and is the author of a new book, The Secrets of Our DNA, which takes us through some fascinating true stories  to show how DNA has solved mysteries and shapes our world today. In this episode, she talks to Dr Güneş Taylor about Richard III; how the fate of the Romanovs was discovered through genetic research; eugenics; the study of Hitler’s DNA; and how she used David Attenborough’s DNA to study the link between the Y chromosome and the surname. Together, they explore how genetics informs every aspect of our lives, why it affects us all, and what it can – and can’t tell us about who we are. The Story of Our DNA by Professor Turi King is available online and in bookshops now. Dr Güneş Taylor is Group Leader

This debate was part of the ‘Think Again’ series in which two leading thinkers present alternative answers to a difficult societal question. The book and series published by The Bodley Head.  --- What happens when life becomes unbearable — when suffering is unrelenting, dignity is stripped away, and the end is inevitable? Those who support legalising assisted dying argue that autonomy doesn’t stop at the threshold of death. For individuals facing terminal illness, the current law is not a protection but a cruelty, forcing them to either act while they still can or surrender all control over how their lives will end. With robust safeguards in place, supporters argue, a compassionate society should not force its most vulnerable members to suffer against their will but should instead legalise a right to die. But skeptics urge us to look harder at what legalisation would truly mean in practice. Assisted dying is never simply a private act — it implicates families, healthcare professionals, and the values of so

This debate was part of the ‘Think Again’ series in which two leading thinkers present alternative answers to a difficult societal question. The book and series published by The Bodley Head.  --- What happens when life becomes unbearable — when suffering is unrelenting, dignity is stripped away, and the end is inevitable? Those who support legalising assisted dying argue that autonomy doesn’t stop at the threshold of death. For individuals facing terminal illness, the current law is not a protection but a cruelty, forcing them to either act while they still can or surrender all control over how their lives will end. With robust safeguards in place, supporters argue, a compassionate society should not force its most vulnerable members to suffer against their will but should instead legalise a right to die. But skeptics urge us to look harder at what legalisation would truly mean in practice. Assisted dying is never simply a private act — it implicates families, healthcare professionals, and the values of so

Douglas Stuart is one of the most successful writers in Britain today. He is celebrated globally for his honest portrayals of human relationships and working-class life. In 2020 he won the Booker Prize for his debut novel Shuggie Bain, a searingly honest novel set in 1980s Glasgow about a boy named Shuggie trying to save his mother, Agnes, from alcoholism and poverty.  His second novel Young Mungo, a story of the dangerous first love of two young men, was released in 2022 and became a number one Sunday Times Bestseller.  In May 2026, Stuart joined us live in London for an evening on identity, resilience, and the themes of his new novel John of John.  In John of John, Stuart returns to the themes of class, family, masculinity, and sexuality. It is the story of John-Calum Macleod, who returns to his childhood home on the island of Harris. Out of money and with little to show for his art school education, he sinks back into his old life, caught between the two poles of his childhood: his father John, a sheep

Douglas Stuart is one of the most successful writers in Britain today. He is celebrated globally for his honest portrayals of human relationships and working-class life. In 2020 he won the Booker Prize for his debut novel Shuggie Bain, a searingly honest novel set in 1980s Glasgow about a boy named Shuggie trying to save his mother, Agnes, from alcoholism and poverty. His second novel Young Mungo, a story of the dangerous first love of two young men, was released in 2022 and became a number one Sunday Times Bestseller. In May 2026, Stuart joined us live in London for an evening on identity, resilience, and the themes of his new novel John of John. In John of John, Stuart returns to the themes of class, family, masculinity, and sexuality. It is the story of John-Calum Macleod, who returns to his childhood home on the island of Harris. Out of money and with little to show for his art school education, he sinks back into his old life, caught between the two poles of his childhood: his father John, a sheep

In this episode, journalist Hannah Lucinda Smith speaks with economists Soumaya Keynes and Chad Bown about our new era of global trade wars. Drawing on their new book How to Win a Trade War, Keynes and Bown shed light on the historical roots of our modern trade infrastructure and how tariffs, export controls and supply chain battles are drastically reshaping the global economy. The conversation examines the increasingly fraught economic relationship between the US and China, the growing use of economic coercion, and what the future holds for the world stage as countries increasingly treat trade as a strategic weapon rather than a cooperative system. Soumaya Keynes is an economist and journalist. She is the co-author of How to Win a Trade War and host of the podcast The Economics Show. Chad Bown is an economist specialising in international trade and economic policy. He served as chief economist at the U.S. Department of State in the Biden administration from January 2024 to January 2025. He is the co-auth

What do we lose when a language dies? Roughly 7,000 languages are spoken around the world today. Over half of them are expected to vanish in the next century – along with the wealth of information they contain, the family ties they represent, and the psychological benefits they confer. In May 2026 journalist Sophia Smith Galer joined us live to explore how this mass extinction event is one of the most urgent cultural emergencies we’re facing today. Drawing on her globe-spanning investigation, How to Kill a Language, Smith Galer shed light on linguicide, its root causes, and what we lose when a language dies. From Ghana to Greece, Ukraine to Ecuador, her research ultimately led her back home: to Italy, where piaśintein, the Gallo-Italian language of her grandparents, is on the brink of vanishing forever. Smith Galer also discussed the communities bringing their languages back, from Kurdish activists in Iran to Karuk campaigners in the forests of California Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch

What do we lose when a language dies? Roughly 7,000 languages are spoken around the world today. Over half of them are expected to vanish in the next century – along with the wealth of information they contain, the family ties they represent, and the psychological benefits they confer. In May 2026 journalist Sophia Smith Galer joined us live to explore how this mass extinction event is one of the most urgent cultural emergencies we’re facing today. Drawing on her globe-spanning investigation, How to Kill a Language, Smith Galer shed light on linguicide, its root causes, and what we lose when a language dies. From Ghana to Greece, Ukraine to Ecuador, her research ultimately led her back home: to Italy, where piaśintein, the Gallo-Italian language of her grandparents, is on the brink of vanishing forever. Smith Galer also discussed the communities bringing their languages back, from Kurdish activists in Iran to Karuk campaigners in the forests of California Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch

How can changing the way we breathe lower stress and blood pressure? Why is touch so important for premature babies and ICU patients? And what can our organs teach us about staying healthy? Dr Giulia Enders, author of the multimillion-selling Gut, returns with a new book, Organ Speak — an exploration of the lungs, skin, immune system, muscles and brain, and the extraordinary ways our organs work together to keep us alive and well. In this episode, she joins science communicator Dr Emma Yhnell to discuss how exercise really works, the hidden sophistication of the immune system, why humans evolved to sleep and dream, and whether AI can ever compete with the complexity of the human brain. Dr Giulia Enders is a physician and author. Her new book, Organ Speak: What it Really Means to Listen to Our Bodies, is available online and in stores now. Dr Emma Yhnell is an academic and science communicator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are we really alone in the universe? The question of whether there is extraterrestrial life is one of our oldest questions. And few nations on Earth are more captivated by the prospect of life on Mars than the United States. President Barack Obama recently made headlines by stating he believes aliens are real. And around 41% of Americans believe aliens have made contact with planet Earth. In May 2026, Orwell Prize-winning journalist Daniel Lavelle joined acclaimed filmmaker and podcaster Jon Ronson to discuss why humans, and Americans in particular, are so obsessed with encountering aliens. Drawing from Lavelle’s new book, Chasing Aliens, they explored an extraordinary road trip through America’s UFO heartlands – a journey that led Lavelle from fringe believers and interdimensional crystal rituals at the clandestine Skinwalker Ranch, all the way to Harvard astrophysicists and the corridors of government itself. He revealed what he found: not just the truth about UFOs, but something far more unexpected –

Are we really alone in the universe? The question of whether there is extraterrestrial life is one of our oldest questions. And few nations on Earth are more captivated by the prospect of life on Mars than the United States. President Barack Obama recently made headlines by stating he believes aliens are real. And around 41% of Americans believe aliens have made contact with planet Earth. In May 2026, Orwell Prize-winning journalist Daniel Lavelle joined acclaimed filmmaker and podcaster Jon Ronson to discuss why humans, and Americans in particular, are so obsessed with encountering aliens. Drawing from Lavelle’s new book, Chasing Aliens, they explored an extraordinary road trip through America’s UFO heartlands – a journey that led Lavelle from fringe believers and interdimensional crystal rituals at the clandestine Skinwalker Ranch, all the way to Harvard astrophysicists and the corridors of government itself. He revealed what he found: not just the truth about UFOs, but something far more unexpec

Has far-right thinking entered mainstream politics in the UK?  In 2025, Britain saw its largest-ever far-right rally, following a summer of flag-waving protests. Then, in May 2026, local elections reshaped England’s political landscape: Labour and the Conservatives suffered heavy losses, while Reform UK surged in popularity. In this episode, author and journalist Daniel Trilling joins academic Sophie Scott-Brown to examine the rise of populist rightwing nationalism and its growing influence on mainstream politics. While Reform UK remains more moderate than parties like Germany’s AfD or Viktor Orbán’s movement in Hungary, Trilling explores its shift to the right on issues such as immigration — and how populist movements tap into feelings of national decline, humiliation, and the desire for strong, authoritarian leadership. In a wide-ranging conversation, they discuss why populist right politics is gaining ground, the decline of the two-party system, the dangers of our current political moment, and what can

What does it mean to mourn a shared life? In this episode, essayist and novelist Siri Hustvedt speaks to book critic Mythili Rao about Ghost Stories. Her most personal work yet, it is a searing and intimate meditation on grief, memory and enduring love, written in the aftermath of the death of her husband, writer, poet and filmmaker Paul Auster. Weaving together journal entries, letters, emails and fragments of Auster’s final writing, Hustvedt reflects on four decades of love, intellectual companionship and family life in New York. Together they discuss grief not as a single event but as an altered experience of time, memory and presence. Hustvedt discusses the role of writing in mourning, the value of nurturing an inner life in an age of constant distraction, and the intersection of personal grief and political dread in contemporary America. Siri Hustvedt is a novelist, essayist and poet. Her books include What I Loved, The Blazing World and Memories of the Future. Her latest book is Ghost Stories. Myth

World famous astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson joins Dr Radha Modgil to discuss his new book Take Me to Your Leader, exploring the science of alien life, humanity’s obsession with UFOs, and what first contact might actually look like. From Area 51 to Star Wars, Tyson blends humour, science and big existential questions in a conversation about whether we’re truly alone in the universe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patrick Radden Keefe is an award winning writer known for his ability to tell complex stories in ways that are compelling and revealing. Author of the bestsellers Empire of Pain—a shocking exposé of the Sackler family and their involvement in the opioid crisis—and Say Nothing, his award-winning account of The Troubles in Northern Ireland and the murder of Jean McConville by the IRA, Keefe has built a global reputation for meticulous reporting, moral clarity, and gripping storytelling.In May 2026 he joined Emily Maitlis live on the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss the investigation that has led to his new book London Falling. At its centre is a teenager who mysteriously fell to his death from a Thames-side luxury apartment in London, and his grieving family’s determination to get to the truth of what really happened. Keefe also discussed the broader themes of how money laundering, crime and corruption function today in London’s underbelly. --- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our f

Patrick Radden Keefe is an award winning writer known for his ability to tell complex stories in ways that are compelling and revealing. Author of the bestsellers Empire of Pain—a shocking exposé of the Sackler family and their involvement in the opioid crisis—and Say Nothing, his award-winning account of The Troubles in Northern Ireland and the murder of Jean McConville by the IRA, Keefe has built a global reputation for meticulous reporting, moral clarity, and gripping storytelling.In May 2026 he joined Emily Maitlis live on the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss the investigation that has led to his new book London Falling. At its centre is a teenager who mysteriously fell to his death from a Thames-side luxury apartment in London, and his grieving family’s determination to get to the truth of what really happened. Keefe also discussed the broader themes of how money laundering, crime and corruption function today in London’s underbelly. --- This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd

What do our Google searches reveal about who we really are? For a new book, What We Ask Google, data analyst Simon Rogers explores the world’s biggest dataset - billions of searches carried out over two decades - to provide a revealing portrait of our collective brain. In this episode, he speaks to Carl Miller about what the data reveals—from how we process grief and loneliness, to how we seek to understand our health, to “nowcasting” and how our search data can anticipate future trends. Along the way, he uncovers some unexpected cultural trends: in Paris, the most searched-for food is pizza; in the UK, parents look for children’s parkour classes, while in the US, it’s etiquette and croquet. If social media is where we perform, he says, our search data is a more honest reflection of our interests, offering a window into humanity's endless gift for curiosity.  Simon Rogers is Google’s Data Editor. What We Ask Google is available online and in stores now. Carl Miller is an author and researcher at Demos. I