The Week Unwrapped podcast: Testosterone, vegans and locusts

Why are testosterone levels plummeting? Do vegans need legal protection? And why are locusts swarming across East Africa?

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Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.

In this week’s episode, we discuss:

Testosterone

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Testosterone levels have been in decline for some time, and a long-term study published this week in the Journal of Sexual Medicine reveals the extent of the phenomenon: men aged between 15 and 39 now have 25% less testosterone than men of the same age in 1999 - a huge drop in just 20 years. Many theories have been put forward, including diet, lifestyle, underwear trends and even social attitudes towards masculinity. But why testosterone levels are dropping - and what the end result might be - remains a mystery.

Veganism

An employment tribunal has ruled that ethical veganism is a philosophical belief akin to a religion that is protected by law against discrimination. But could the verdict come back to bite the growing movement? And which other beliefs are or should be safeguarded by our courts?

Locusts

East Africa is in the grip of the most severe swarms of locusts in over 70 years, threatening food supply to millions across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. With climate change fuelling their breeding and governments asleep at the wheel - are we all doomed to face more plagues in the future?

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped on the Global Player, Apple podcasts, SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts. It is produced by Sarah Myles and the music is by Tom Mawby.