Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Guy Anker, Suchandrika Chakrabarti and Arion McNicoll.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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The human family tree
Our understanding of ancient human ancestry took a step forwards this week with the announcement that a skull belonging to a 12 or 13 year old who died about 300,000 years ago seems to have belonged to an entirely new branch of our family tree. It has a combination of bone shapes and structures that have never been seen together in any other skull – part Homo sapiens and part Denisovans, who are themselves a recently discovered cousin of the Neanderthals. What does this tell us about our past – and our present?
A better deal for people with ME
The government is proposing a new approach to treating the estimated 240,000 people in the UK with ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. Its goal is to improve understanding of the debilitating condition and remove the remaining stigma attached to it. In the absence of a cure, effective treatments or even a diagnosis, efforts will focus on better managing symptoms and carrying out research into what causes the disease.
Date-stacking
A viral trend is courting controversy: date-stacking, or scheduling multiple dates in one day. While some people see it as ruthless, dismissive and logistically taxing, others find it perfectly understandable and extremely efficient. But is it on the rise, or is this a new term for old speed-dating? Is it driven by ticking biological clocks, or time poverty? Or are dating apps teaching us to treat people like disposable commodities? And how long does it really take to know if there’s a spark?
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The Week Unwrapped: Could robotic dogs help clear landmines?Podcast Plus, what can we learn from a new approach to urban renewal? And how much power rests with political spouses?
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The Week Unwrapped: Is it time for a new world map?Podcast Plus, why is the pope getting flatmates? And why are seagull 'muggings' on the rise?
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The Week Unwrapped: Has Donald Trump secured his Nobel Peace Prize?Podcast Plus, what does the use of North Korean and Indian labour tell us about the Russian war economy? And why have we all gone crazy for pickles?
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The Week Unwrapped: Why are we watching the ocean floor?Podcast Plus, what can we learn from a football club on the brink? And which jobs will fall to AI first?
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The Week Unwrapped: Could AI replace catwalk models?Podcast Plus, should countries sue each other for climate damage? And what does Grand Theft Auto 6 tell us about the video game industry?
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The Week Unwrapped: Are electric bikes 'invading' London?Podcast Plus, why is Volodymyr Zelenskyy opposing anti-corruption laws? And how will US withdrawal affect Unesco?
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The Week Unwrapped: Should women be conscripted?Podcast Plus, are digital ID cards inevitable? And why do women get more ACL injuries?
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The Week Unwrapped: How do you turn plastics into paracetamol?Podcast Plus, what is the Wagner Group doing now? And why is it so hard to find a job after university?
