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How the WHO Essential Medicines List Works
Episode 5148
In 1977, eight experts locked themselves in a room in Geneva for five days and produced a 36-page booklet that sold out in three months. That booklet…
1 month ago
Tents vs Container Cities: Rethinking Disaster Housing
Episode 5147
When major disasters displace millions, the default response is still a sea of white tents — but the technology for dignified emergency housing alrea…
1 month ago
Who Decides What Food Aid Gets Sent?
Episode 5146
When disaster strikes and hunger follows, who actually decides what food gets shipped? There's no single master list like the WHO's essential medicin…
1 month ago
What Life Expectancy Really Meant in the 1600s
Episode 5145
Life expectancy at birth of 35 sounds like a world where everyone dropped dead in their thirties. It isn't. That number is dragged down by catastroph…
1 month ago
What Medieval Peasants Actually Ate From the Pot
Episode 5144
What did a medieval household actually eat, day after day, from the same simmering pot? This episode walks through the physical setup — an iron cauld…
1 month ago
The Chickasaw Nation: A Dinner Guest Briefing
Episode 5143
Daniel has a dinner guest from the Chickasaw Nation and needs a crash course. We cover their deep roots in the American Southeast, their reputation a…
1 month ago
How Parenthood Rewires Your Identity and Purpose
Episode 5142
Becoming a parent isn't just adding a new role to your life — it's a full identity renovation. In this episode, we unpack what happens when "parent" …
1 month ago
Teletubbies vs. Sesame Street: What Kids' TV Is Really For
Episode 5141
What is children's television actually for? Is it a tool to prepare kids for school, or a place for them to inhabit a world of nonsense and delight? …
1 month ago
Teletext: The One-Way Internet That Won't Die
Episode 5140
Before the web, before dial-up, a generation pressed the "text" button and waited for pages to cycle past on their TV screens. This episode unpacks t…
1 month ago
What Non-Internet Phones Reveal About Smartphone Addiction
Episode 5139
A listener's question about Israel's ultra-Orthodox community leads to a deep dive into what "dumbphones" can teach us about smartphone addiction. If…
1 month ago