To critics, Britain’s Green Party leader is dangerous, even a con man. To fans, he is a national saviour-in-waiting. Our correspondent <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2026/08/13/can-zack-polanski-do-a-mamdani?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">meets him</a> to see what is behind the hype. So-called SpudCells have just seven bespoke DNA loops, but represent a <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/07/01/scientists-take-another-step-towards-lab-made-life?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">revolutionary step</a> toward life made from scratch. And the many ways travel agents <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/08/13/travel-agents-are-in-demand-especially-for-luxury-trips?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">still beat</a> the bots.Guests and host:<ul><li>Andrew Miller, special correspondent</li><li>Oliver Morton, planetary affairs editor</li><li>Caitlin Talbot, culture correspondent</li><li>Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul>Topics covered:&nbsp;<ul><li>Zack Polanski, Britain’s Green Party</li><li>SpudCells, synthetic biology</li><li>travel agents, luxury travel</li></ul>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">subscribe to The Economist</a>.

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