Sporting history was made at this year’s London Marathon. Sabastian Sawe became the first man to finish a competitive race in less than two hours. How are elite athletes getting so much faster? We investigate how runners are harnessing the science of physiology and the technology of shoes to increase their speed. Plus, how anybody can train for a marathon—or just get fit fast.

Guests and hosts:

• Ainslie Johnstone, The Economist’s data and science correspondent
• Tim Cross, senior science writer and author of the “Well Informed” newsletter
• Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor

Topics covered:

• London Marathon
• Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3
• Exercise hacks

Audio and commentary taken from the BBC's live coverage of the London Marathon, April 26th 2026.

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In the popular imagination, the Chernobyl nuclear-power plant sits in an abandoned, post-apocalyptic wasteland. In reality, the site of the world’s worst nuclear-energy disaster is a thriving experimentation ground for scientists studying the long-term impacts of radiation. This week, 40 years after the meltdown, we investigate what that laboratory has found so far.

Guests and hosts:

• Jason Palmer, host of “The Intelligence” podcast
• Olena Pareniuk of the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants
• Jim Smith of the University of Portsmouth
• Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor

Topics covered:

• Chernobyl nuclear disaster
• Nuclear safety
• Radiation physics

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.

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The universe—and everything inside it—shouldn’t exist. The big bang should have produced equal amounts of matter and antimatter, and their mutual annihilation should have resulted in nothing more than a sprawling ball of energy. But, in fact, the universe is dominated by matter, while antimatter is vanishingly rare. To try to understand why, physicists have taken antimatter on a road trip—for the first time in history.

Guests and hosts:

• Sam Wikeley, The Economist’s science correspondent
• April Cridland of CERN’s antimatter factory
• Stefan Ulmer of HHU Düsseldorf and CERN’s BASE experiment
• Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor

Topics covered:

• Antimatter
• The European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN)
• Particle physics

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.

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