Humans have, mostly, made babies the same way for millenia. That kind of inertia is catnip to Silicon Valley investors who are pouring money into technology like embryo screening. On this week’s show, we explore the companies offering fertility tech and hear why some don’t shy away from terms like eugenics.

Guests and hosts:

• Jonathan Anomaly, co-founder of Herasight
• Michelle Kwok, principal at Draper
• Shera Avi-Yonah, The Economist’s business correspondent
• Alice Fulwood, co-host of “Money Talks”
• Ethan Wu, co-host of “Money Talks”

Topics covered:

• Fertility industry
• Embryo screening
• Eugenics

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 The Economist.

Conspiracy theories were rife when Kevin Warsh was made Fed chair. Was he a hawk in dove's clothing or a dove dressed as a hawk? The tinfoil hats came out because Mr Warsh himself remained tight-lipped. Now, though, he has presided over two rate-setting meetings at the Fed. So what have we learnt about the world’s most important central banker?

Guests and hosts:

• Josh Roberts, The Economist’s capital markets correspondent
• Archie Hall, The Economist’s acting economics editor
• Alex Domash, The Economist’s acting US economics editor

Topics covered:

• Kevin Warsh
• The Federal Reserve
• Donald Trump

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 The Economist.

Travelling for work is rarely glamorous. And nowhere is that more true than at The Economist. Our correspondents have spent the last four decades travelling the world, expensing Big Macs in service of one aim: to understand how currencies work. To celebrate the Big Mac index’s 40th birthday, we share what we’ve learnt.

Guests and hosts:

• Eswar Prasad, economics professor at Cornell University
• Simon Cox, The Economist’s China economics editor
• Josh Roberts, The Economist’s capital markets correspondent
• Ethan Wu, co-host of “Money Talks”

Topics covered:

• Big Mac Index
• Currencies
• Purchasing Power Parity

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 The Economist.