Works in Progress Out Loud

The evolution of bacteria

Works in Progress — Fri, 08 May 2026 02:00:00 +0100

Generations of microbes evolve in hours, not millennia. By speeding up Darwin’s clock, scientists have watched evolution happen in real time, and it’s changed how we understand natural selection. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-evolution-of-bacteria-2/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Kevin Blake
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

Washer woman: The invention of dishwashers

Works in Progress — Fri, 01 May 2026 02:00:00 +0100

In 1965, married American women did 34 hours of housework weekly. By 2010, that had fallen to 18 hours. The dishwasher wasn’t the only cause, but it certainly helped. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/inventing-the-dishwasher/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Erin Braid
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

The triumph of logical English

Works in Progress — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 02:00:00 +0100

English prose has become much easier to read. But shorter sentences had little to do with it. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-logical-triumph-of-english/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Henry Oliver
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

How to spot a monopoly: Measuring competition

Works in Progress — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:00:00 +0100

Competition makes capitalism work. A new method for measuring it may be the holy grail of economic regulation. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/how-to-spot-a-monopoly/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Brian Albrecht
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

The death rays that guard life: We can use ultraviolet light to disinfect public spaces

Works in Progress — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0100

We disinfect water before we drink it. Germicidal ultraviolet could make airborne disease as rare as those carried by water. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-death-rays-that-guard-life/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Gavriel Kleinwaks & Karam Elabd
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

Inflatable space stations: Creating artificial gravity so we can live in space

Works in Progress — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 02:00:00 +0100

If we ever want to live in space, we need to work out a way of creating artificial gravity.

You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/inflatable-space-stations/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Angadh Nanjangud
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

The algorithm will see you now: Why radiologists haven't been replaced by AI

Works in Progress — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 02:00:00 +0000

Radiology combines digital images, clear benchmarks, and repeatable tasks. But replacing humans with AI is harder than it seems. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-algorithm-will-see-you-now/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Deena Mousa
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

Sunscreen for the planet: Geoengineering a cooler planet

Works in Progress — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 02:00:00 +0000

The world is warming faster than we can cut emissions. Volcanoes are already cooling the planet, with particles that reflect sunlight. Maybe we can too. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/sunscreen-for-the-planet/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Daniele Visioni & Dakota Gruener
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

How to redraw a city: Land readjustment in Japan

Works in Progress — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 02:18:00 +0000

Japan faced some of the world’s toughest planning problems. It solved them by letting homeowners replan whole neighborhoods privately by supermajority vote. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/how-to-redraw-a-city/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Anya Martin
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

Two is already too many: Why South Korean birth rates are so low

Works in Progress — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:57:15 +0000

Every hundred South Koreans today will have only six great-grandchildren between them. The rest of the world can learn from Korea’s catastrophe to avoid the same fate.

You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/two-is-already-too-many/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Phoebe Arslanagic-Little
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett