Scientists have found the first compelling evidence that cognitive training can boost levels of a brain chemical that typically declines as people age. The results of this 10-week study back earlier animal research showing that environments that stimulate the brain can increase levels of certain neurotransmitters. And other studies of people have suggested that cognitive training can improve thinking and memory. So how does it all work? And by how much does it all work? Here to break everything down and help you understand how to keep your brain sharp is NPR science correspondent Jon Hamilton.
Interested in more brain science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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The Indicator from Planet Money - The winner’s curse
Ever put in the winning bid for something on an auction site only to realize you significantly overpaid? Yeah, there’s a phrase for that. On today’s show: the winner’s curse.
Richard Thaler’s new book with Alex O. Imas is The Winner’s Curse: Behavioral Economics Anomalies, Then and Now.
Read Planet Money’s newsletter on the winner’s curse.
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR's Book of the Day - Margaret Atwood on what finally made her agree to write a memoir
Best-selling author Margaret Atwood says she originally rejected the idea of writing a memoir. But she warmed up to the idea after she began to think of a memoir as a recollection of “stupid things you did, near-death events, catastrophes, and surprising highlights and jokes.” Now, at age 85, Atwood is out with Book of Lives. In today’s episode, she joins NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer for a conversation that touches on the difference between memoir and biography, Canadian identity, and writing from the perspective of an “Inner Advice Columnist.”
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - The National Guard Is Asking Questions
Trump can’t seem to decide if the National Guard is needed in American cities to stop violent crime, or to assist ICE deportations, or something else entirely. And the lack of a clear and present crisis is starting to make some Guard members uncomfortable.
Guest: Kat Lonsdorf, news reporter for National Public Radio.
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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
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Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1473: Titanic and Great Eastern
Episode: 1473 Two unsinkable ships: the Titanic and the Great Eastern. Today, a story of two ships. One sank. One didn't.
Global News Podcast - Ecuadorian drug lord arrested
Ecuador's Los Lobos drug cartel leader, Wilmer "Pipo" Chavarria, has been captured in Spain. He'd been hiding in Europe after faking his own death. The arrest came as Ecuadorians voted not to allow foreign military bases in their country. Also: President Trump calls for the release of the Epstein files; violence erupts in Bangladesh ahead of the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's trial verdict; an auction of items from Nazi concentration camps is cancelled; Chile's election results; we visit the Amazon rainforest as COP30 debates soya beans; and Sky Sports ditches its "patronising and sexist" new TikTok.
The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
It Could Happen Here - The Challenges Facing the Mamdani Administration
Mia talks about the bond market, the police, and other challenges Zohran Mamdani will face in office and how to overcome them.
Sources:
https://thebaffler.com/latest/paying-for-it-backer
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/zohran-mamdani-new-york-city-free-buses-kathy-hochul/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
array(3) { [0]=> string(150) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/78d30acb-8463-4c40-a5ae-ae2d0145c9ff/image.jpg?t=1751824393&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }The World in Brief from The Economist - Britain’s asylum shake-up; South Korea’s boom in domestic investment, and more
Shabana Mahmood, Britain’s home secretary, is to announce measures to curtail aid for asylum seekers, including an end to guaranteed housing and the withdrawal of financial support for those able to work or with independent means.
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Good Bad Billionaire - Lakshmi Mittal: King of steel
Lakshmi Mittal grew up in Kolkata, where he gained early experience in his father’s steel business before founding his own steel mill in Indonesia in his twenties. By adopting mini-mill technology and electric arc furnaces, Lakshmi Mittal produced steel more efficiently than traditional methods and began acquiring underperforming state-owned mills around the world, setting him on his path to becoming a billionaire.
Journalists Zing Tsjeng and Simon Jack trace his journey of entrepreneurship from one mill in Indonesia to leading ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker. They explore how Lakshmi Mittal navigated a split from the family business, executed bold global acquisitions, and reshaped a fragmented industry into a profitable, consolidated powerhouse.
Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast that explores the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics and success. There are business leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility, before asking the audience to decide if they are good, bad, or just billionaires.
To contact the team, email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com or send a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. Find out more about the show and read our privacy notice at www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire
The Economics of Everyday Things - 115. Miniature Golf
How much does it cost to design and build a mini-golf course? And what’s it like to run one? Zachary Crockett putts things in perspective.
- SOURCES:
- Katie Conaboy, CEO and co-owner of Harris Miniature Golf.
- Sal Conaboy, president and co-owner of Harris Miniature Golf.
- Mike Matsinger, owner of Surf's Up Mini Golf.
- RESOURCES:
- "The Evolution of Miniature Golf," (National Golf Foundation, 2022).
- "Who Made Mini-Golf?" by Hilary Greenbaum and Dana Rubinstein (New York Times, 2012).
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