Épisodes

  • The ‘mad egghead’ who built a mouse utopia

    The ‘mad egghead’ who built a mouse utopia
    Jan 10 2025
    John Calhoun designed an apartment complex for mice to examine the effects of overcrowding. It was hailed as a groundbreaking study of social breakdown, but is largely forgotten. So what happened? By Lee Alan Dugatkin. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    26 min
  • From the archive: Cold comfort: how cold water swimming cured my broken heart

    From the archive: Cold comfort: how cold water swimming cured my broken heart
    Jan 8 2025
    We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2021: After a painful breakup and the death of her father, one writer retreated to the coast of Brittany in winter where she tested the powerful effects of a daily swim in the icy sea. By Wendell Steavenson. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    36 min
  • Teeth as time capsules: Soviet secrets and my dentist grandmother

    Teeth as time capsules: Soviet secrets and my dentist grandmother
    Jan 6 2025
    In postwar Warsaw, my grandmother Zosia fixed the teeth of prisoners and spies. In doing so, she came into contact with the hidden history of her times in a way few others could. By Jacob Mikanowski. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    30 min
  • The brain collector: the scientist unravelling the mysteries of grey matter

    The brain collector: the scientist unravelling the mysteries of grey matter
    Jan 3 2025
    Using cutting-edge methods, Alexandra Morton-Hayward is cracking the secrets of ancient brains – even as hers betrays her. By Kermit Pattison. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    34 min
  • From the archive: The invisible addiction: is it time to give up caffeine?

    From the archive: The invisible addiction: is it time to give up caffeine?
    Jan 1 2025
    We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2021: Caffeine makes us more energetic, efficient and faster. But we have become so dependent that we need it just to get to our baseline. By Michael Pollan. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    33 min
  • The rollercoaster king: the man behind the UK’s fastest thrill-ride

    The rollercoaster king: the man behind the UK’s fastest thrill-ride
    Dec 30 2024
    John Burton was just 27 when he was put in charge of creating Thorpe Park’s biggest-ever project. Once too scared to go on rides himself, how did he become the architect of so many daredevils’ dreams? By Tom Lamont. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    46 min
  • Best of 2024: ‘If there’s nowhere else to go, this is where they come’: how Britain’s libraries provide much more than books

    Best of 2024: ‘If there’s nowhere else to go, this is where they come’: how Britain’s libraries provide much more than books
    Dec 27 2024
    Every Monday and Friday for the rest of December we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2023, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. From July: In 2024, libraries are unofficial creches, homeless shelters, language schools and asylum support providers – filling the gaps left by a state that has reneged on its responsibilities. By Aida Edemariam. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    36 min
  • Best of 2024: As a teenager, John was jailed for assaulting someone and stealing their bike. That was 17 years ago – will he ever be released?

    Best of 2024: As a teenager, John was jailed for assaulting someone and stealing their bike. That was 17 years ago – will he ever be released?
    Dec 23 2024
    Every Monday and Friday for the rest of December we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2023, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it. From June: Indeterminate sentences are devastating to mental health, but prisoners with mental illness are less likely to be released. The result is a vicious cycle whereby the most vulnerable inmates often have the least chance of getting out – as John’s case shows. By Sophie Atkinson. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    43 min