A century ago, bilingual children were seen as disadvantaged—a kid speaking English and Spanish was liable to become confused and might not learn properly. Now? Bilinguals are seen as better than the rest of us. They get dementia later. They have bigger brains and are better at focusing on tasks. So what’s the truth? Our resident social science sleuth Maria Konnikova investigates. She’s a New Yorker contributor and author of The Confidence Game. Her new podcast is The Grift.
In the Spiel, the news buried this week by the firing of James Comey.
All over the world mothers are given numbers as their baby grows. The numbers are from ?growth charts? showing how a baby is developing in comparison to others. Seven month old Baby Arlo has particularly big numbers, so much so that his parents are worried he?s one of the biggest babies in America. But where do these numbers come from? Is it an average? Why do they measure a baby?s head? Reporter Jordan Dunbar sets out to find out how we get these baby numbers and just how big Baby Arlo is.
Presenter: Tim Harford and Jordan Dunbar
Producer: Charlotte McDonald and Jordan Dunbar
Retailers stumble. Electronics Arts scores. Snap gets slammed. Whole Foods gets a refresh. And Marriott hits a new high. Plus, award-winning filmmaker Steve James talks about his new film, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail. Thanks to Harry's for supporting The Motley Fool. Get your Free Trial Set - go to Harrys.com/Fool .
How has the Iran nuclear deal performed so far? Judging by rhetoric from the White House, it's done a decent job at keeping Iran's nuclear plans at bay. Ben Friedman and John Glaser comment.
Even if you spent your entire life on a plane, the chances are you’d never crash – commercial air travel is remarkably safe. But after hearing about a recent air tragedy, two brothers in Kampala wondered if commercial airplanes could ever have ejector seats – like fighter jets do - to give passengers a last option for escape.
We meet 98-year-old John Oliver “Jo” Lancaster, one of the first people ever to eject out of a plane, and discover the seemingly insurmountable barriers to fitting ejector seats into passenger jets. And we find out that an awful lot of work goes into making flying as safe as it is, as we visit an air accident investigation lab, practise an emergency exit from a passenger cabin and deal with a multiple engine failure …in a plane simulator.
But are any safety ideas as radical as ejector seats on the horizon? We assess a controversial design that would parachute the entire passenger cabin down to earth should the worst happen.
Do you have a question we can turn into a programme? Email us at crowdscience@bbc.co.uk
You've heard of facial recognition technology before -- but how does the actual tech work? What don't authorities want you to know about it? Join the guys and special guest Jonathan Strickland as they explore the disturbing facts.
In this episode, the guys tackle a recent Internet meme regarding convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez's suicide with help from NFL expert and friend of the show Chris Kristofco of the Titletown Sound podcast. First, though, Andrew tackles a question from listener Joel Forman who asks whether Andrew can help secure him a "letter of marque." What is a letter of marque and why does Joel want one? Listen and find out! In the main segment, the guys break down the law regarding Aaron Hernandez's suicide. Does it really vacate Hernandez's conviction for murder? Are the Patriots really on the hook for $6 million? Is it all a big conspiracy? We tell the hard truths. After that, Andrew answers a question from Hall of Fame patron R.J. Rautio about an obscure procedural quirk in the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. Does this mean President Elizabeth Warren can kick Gorsuch off the Court in 2020?? Finally, we end with a brand new Thomas Takes the Bar Exam question #23 about a breach of contract lawsuit for stealing your personal information. Remember that TTTBE issues a new question every Friday, followed by the answer on next Tuesday's show. Don't forget to play along by following our Twitter feed (@Openargs) and/or our Facebook Page and quoting the Tweet or Facebook Post that announces this episode along with your guess and reason(s)! Recent Appearances: Andrew was recently a guest on Episode #116 of the Gaytheist Manifesto. Go check it out! Show Notes & Links
We’re zooming out on Russia’s influencing machine with the help of Clint Watts, the national security expert who had a star turn in March with his soundbite-ready testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Watts explains why the partisan skew on fake news is “kind of garbage.” Plus, he has tips for testifying—just in case you get a call from Congress. Watts is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
In the Spiel, hanging on every phrase President Trump invented this week.
