Works in Progress Podcast

Generations of microbes evolve in hours, not millennia. By speeding up Darwin’s clock, scientists have watched evolution happen in real time, and it’s changed how we understand natural selection. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-evolution-of-bacteria-2/
And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co
Words by Kevin Blake
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

Local government works best when areas can compete with each other and capture some of the upside of economic growth. Ben sits down with Judge Glock to discuss how well-structured local incentives helped make Loudoun County, Virginia, the global capital of data centers — and helped France build so many nuclear power stations.
They discuss which public goods local government is best placed to provide, why America has better housing outcomes than its reputation suggests, and when national government needs to constrain local power.
Read Judge Glock's piece on why water in America is too clean here: https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-gold-plating-of-american-water/

In 1965, married American women did 34 hours of housework weekly. By 2010, that had fallen to 18 hours. The dishwasher wasn’t the only cause, but it certainly helped. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/inventing-the-dishwasher/
And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co
Words by Erin Braid
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

English prose has become much easier to read. But shorter sentences had little to do with it. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-logical-triumph-of-english/
And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co
Words by Henry Oliver
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

Drug development has never been more expensive, in terms of output per dollar spent. 
This trend, called Eroom's law, is surprising, considering incredible technological advances.
Ben and Saloni talk to Ruxandra Teslo about why this has happened and what can be done about it.
How can we reform clinical trials to make them more efficient and abundant? Why are so many pharma companies moving early trials to Australia? What's wrong with ethics boards and how can we fix them without compromising on safety?