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

In terms output per dollar spent, drug development has never been as slow as it is now. As we have so many more scientific techniques than in previous decades so this slowing should be very surprising. Ben and Saloni talk to Ruxandra Teslo about what can be done about this. Should we have more vouchers so special conditions can bypass some of the FDA's bureaucracy? Why are so many biotech companies moving to Australia? How can we reform ethics boards? Which regulations make clinical trials more reliable? Why is there so much more money being spent on curing osteoporosis?

Competition makes capitalism work. A new method for measuring it may be the holy grail of economic regulation. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/how-to-spot-a-monopoly/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Brian Albrecht
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

We disinfect water before we drink it. Germicidal ultraviolet could make airborne disease as rare as those carried by water. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-death-rays-that-guard-life/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Gavriel Kleinwaks & Karam Elabd
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

You should freeze your eggs. Contrary to popular myth, egg freezing works very well and if you freeze your eggs in your twenties or early thirties, you have a very good chance of having a child.

European leaders are looking to copy Australia's example and cut migration from boat-bound refugees but they are in danger of learning the wrong lessons. Offshore detention was the most widely publicized aspect of their refugee policy but it didn't work. Turnbacks were much cheaper and more effective.

Ben, Aria and Pieter discuss different articles in the new issue of Works in Progress. They discuss how Britain lost its position as the world leader in nuclear power, why ASML is so successful, how envy killed the first bus, and how cool neo-traditional temples are.

Buy your copy here: https://worksinprogress.co/print/

If we ever want to live in space, we need to work out a way of creating artificial gravity.

You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/inflatable-space-stations/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Angadh Nanjangud
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

Radiology combines digital images, clear benchmarks, and repeatable tasks. But replacing humans with AI is harder than it seems. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-algorithm-will-see-you-now/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Deena Mousa
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

There are basically no ugly buildings from before 1930. There are definitely none from before 1830. Why? Is it survivorship bias? Have we demolished all the ugly old buildings and only kept the most beautiful and prestigious buildings? Is it just a matter of taste? Perhaps we haven't come round to liking modern buildings yet but we will. Is it because ornament is too expensive to reproduce now labor costs are too high? Is it because ornament is too cheap because of mass manufacturing and elites want to signal distinction from poor people who can now afford to cover their buildings with ornament too? Samuel, Ben and Aria discuss the merits of these different theories and what actually makes some architecture beautiful.

If you enjoyed this episode, you'll enjoy Samuels many essays on beauty in architecture.
Cheap ornament and status games: https://worksinprogress.co/issue/cheap-ornament-and-status-games/
The beauty of concrete: https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-beauty-of-concrete/
Making architecture easy: https://worksinprogress.co/issue/making-architecture-easy/
Against the survival of the prettiest: https://worksinprogress.co/issue/against-the-survival-of-the-prettiest/