Intelligence Squared21 Apr 2025

Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global, with Laura Spinney

What if a single ancient language lay at the root of nearly half of the world’s spoken tongues? In today’s episode, acclaimed science writer and journalist Laura Spinney joins us to discuss her new book Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global. In Proto, Spinney takes us deep into the mystery of Proto-Indo-European (PIE) - a prehistoric language that no one alive has heard, yet whose echoes can still be found in words spoken from Ireland to India. From the English word star, to Icelandic stjarna, to the Iranic stare - Spinney reveals how echoes of a prehistoric language still ripple across continents and centuries. Along the way, she meets the archaeologists, linguists, and geneticists working to uncover the origins of this linguistic Big Bang - and what it tells us about human history, identity, and movement. Joining Spinney in discussion is global historian Caroline Dodds Pennock, to retrace the paths of nomads, monks, warriors, and kings across the Eurasian steppe, the Caucasus, the Silk Roads, and beyond. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(1574)

Can Water Shape Our Future?

In today’s episode, the second in our series in partnership with WaterAid, journalist and author Coco Khan speaks to Helen Rumford, WaterAid’s Lead Policy Analyst for Climate Policy and Campaigns and ...

4 Feb 29min

Julian Barnes in conversation with Ian McEwan (Part Two)

Julian Barnes and Ian McEwan are widely celebrated as two of the finest writers of their generation. Along with Salman Rushdie and Kazuo Ishiguro, they were included on Granta’s prescient Best Young B...

3 Feb 43min

Julian Barnes in conversation with Ian McEwan (Part One)

2 Feb 39min

Why Can’t We Stop Money Laundering? With Oliver Bullough

In an increasingly digital world, hardly anyone relies on cash. $100 bills are essentially absent from global commerce. So how come the US Federal Reserve printed 752 million and 867.2 million of them...

1 Feb 42min

Is the Arctic the World’s Next War Zone? With Kenneth R. Rosen

Why Is Everyone Suddenly Fighting Over the Arctic? In this episode, Adam McCauley speaks to journalist and author Kenneth R. Rosen about the Arctic’s shifting geopolitical role in the new world order...

30 Jan 51min

Implementing and scaling AI agents in business

Many organisations are experimenting with AI and AI agents. But far fewer are seeing real, measurable impact. The challenge isn’t ambition, it’s readiness. As we explored in the first episode of this ...

29 Jan 35min

Happy Mind, Happy Life, with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Happiness is good for your health. That’s the argument of Dr Rangan Chatterjee, one of the most influential doctors in the UK and host of Europe’s biggest health podcast Feel Better, Live More. Throug...

28 Jan 1h 26min

Can Britain Become an AI Superpower? The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook (Part Two)

A record £2.9 billion was invested in British AI companies last year as Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to make the UK an AI superpower. But according to influential business leaders such as Jensen ...

26 Jan 35min