Episodes

  • A cool flame: how Gaia theory was born out of a secret love affair

    A cool flame: how Gaia theory was born out of a secret love affair
    Nov 25 2024
    Scientist James Lovelock gave humanity new ways to think about our home planet – but some of his biggest ideas were the fruit of a passionate collaboration. By Jonathan Watts. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    32 mins
  • ‘You tried to tell yourself I wasn’t real’: what happens when people with acute psychosis meet the voices in their heads?

    ‘You tried to tell yourself I wasn’t real’: what happens when people with acute psychosis meet the voices in their heads?
    Nov 22 2024
    In avatar therapy, a clinician gives voice to their patients’ inner demons. For some of the participants in a new trial, the results have been astounding. By Jenny Kleeman. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    48 mins
  • 10 years of the long read: The disastrous voyage of Satoshi, the world’s first cryptocurrency cruise ship (2021)

    10 years of the long read: The disastrous voyage of Satoshi, the world’s first cryptocurrency cruise ship (2021)
    Nov 20 2024
    As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors. This week from 2021: Last year, three cryptocurrency enthusiasts bought a cruise ship. They named it the Satoshi, and dreamed of starting a floating libertarian utopia. It didn’t work out. By Sophie Elmhirst. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    42 mins
  • The cement company that paid millions to Isis: was Lafarge complicit in crimes against humanity?

    The cement company that paid millions to Isis: was Lafarge complicit in crimes against humanity?
    Nov 18 2024
    The French cement giant started operating in Syria just before the civil war erupted. When Islamic State took over the region, Lafarge paid them protection money so it could keep trading. The consequences are still playing out. By Samanth Subramanian. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    52 mins
  • Journalist or Russian spy? The strange case of Pablo González

    Journalist or Russian spy? The strange case of Pablo González
    Nov 15 2024
    As a Spanish reporter, Pablo González charmed his way into Russian opposition circles and covered Putin’s wars. Then, in 2022, he was arrested on suspicion of espionage. Many former associates now believe that he betrayed them. By Shaun Walker. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    48 mins
  • 10 years of the long read: The invisible city: how a homeless man built a life underground (2020)

    10 years of the long read: The invisible city: how a homeless man built a life underground (2020)
    Nov 13 2024
    As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors. This week from 2020: After decades among the hidden homeless, Dominic Van Allen dug himself a bunker beneath a public park. But his life would get even more precarious. By Tom Lamont. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    45 mins
  • Has poppymania gone too far?

    Has poppymania gone too far?
    Nov 11 2024
    Over the past 20 years, the symbol of remembrance for the war dead has become increasingly ubiquitous – and a culture of poppy policing has grown with it. By Samira Shackle. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    30 mins
  • Slash and burn: is private equity out of control?

    Slash and burn: is private equity out of control?
    Nov 8 2024
    From football clubs to water companies, music catalogues to care homes, private equity has infiltrated almost every facet of modern life in its endless search to maximise profits. By Alex Blasdel. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    37 mins