Yevgeny Prigozhin emerged as one of the most dangerous warlords in the world and as one of Vladimir Putin’s chief rivals in Russia’s tumultuous political climate, exiled after leading Wagner’s attempted coup and killed in a mysterious plane crash. But what is the truth about this enigmatic figure, and the chaos unleashed across Russia by his turn against Putin? And, in the aftermath of his death, what is next for Russia in the new stage of late Putinism that Prigozhin’s life forged?

Drawing on years of research, in this episode Professor Mark Galeotti traces the rise of Russia’s most prominent non-state actor and examines the political climate that propelled a convicted gangster with no government office to the formidable role he came to occupy.

This is the essential story of Russia’s recent history. Tune in for insights into the country’s future from one of the foremost Russia experts of our time.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From ancient thrones to Hollywood stars, gems have not only adorned humanity but also shaped its history. How did emeralds and rubies etch our origin stories? How did garnets embody the flickering soul or jade the tenets of living a good life? Senior Jewellery Curator at the V&A Museum Helen Molesworth reveals how gems came to embody our most cherished ideals, our most vicious battles for power, and our evolving understanding of ourselves.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Traditional stories of the evolution of life on our planet tell us that we and all other creatures on Earth were shaped by evolution. But how do minds that are shaped by evolution go on to transform nature in their own right? In the final volume of the landmark trilogy that began with Other Minds and continued with Metazoa, philosopher of science Peter Godfrey-Smith explores the role that animal minds - and, especially, human minds - have had on our world. If you've ever wondered why it was primates and not dolphins who developed language and culture, whether or not medical testing on animals can be ethically justified, and which aspects of Gaia theory hold up today, this episode is for you.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever wondered how we got here? From hunting mammoths, to flying to the moon?

Historian Yuval Noah Harari introduced millions of readers to the story of the human species with his global bestseller Sapiens. His new book Unstoppable Us is the first in a new four-book series telling that story to younger readers. Over the summer he joined children's author and essayist Katherine Rundell on stage to tell us more.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Created in collaboration with Fern Press and Tortoise Media, the Fern Academy Prize was created to discover and nurture unpublished writers who shine a light on the universal human experience and speak to the times we live in. Gabriela Denise Frank won the 2024 prize with A Self She Can Continue Living With: a tragicomic depiction of the middle manager's lot in corporate America and the soul-crushing absurdities of the white collar world. In this episode of the podcast, Gabriela reads the essay in full and offers further reflections on art, life, and writing.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A healthy gut functions like a successful company, with different roles and employees. So how do we keep these employees happy?

In this episode of the podcast, microbiome scientist and dietician Dr Emily Leeming joins us to reveal the groundbreaking new evidence between food and mood, and actionable steps for a healthier, more energising lifestyle. She reveals the impact of sedentary lifestyles on our gut, the microbiome benefits of a ten second kiss, and a disco inspired mnemonic for keeping your fibre intake on track.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the Mughal empire – which then generated just under half the world’s wealth – come to be replaced by the first global corporate power – the East India Company? And how does the legacy of British imperialism continue to shape life and culture in Britain today? Bringing together Empireland and Empireworld author and Times columnist Sathnam Sanghera and bestselling award-winning historian William Dalrymple, this episode of the How To Academy Podcast will tell a story that is barely taught in schools or mentioned in museums but is critically important to who we are as a nation in the 21st century.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're told repeatedly that if we’re going to achieve anything, we’d better do it while we’re young. But society is wrong. With armfuls of examples from from Olympic athletes, sitcom stars and titans of architecture who rewrote the rule book for midlife, writer Henry Oliver shares the lessons for seizing upon the truest versions of ourselves later in life and asks, what part of your goal can you achieve today?

Tune in to discover a range of blueprints for self-reinvention, tips for rebuilding your confidence, and the power of the word 'perhaps'.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time in history, autocracies are working together to stay in power.

Nowadays, autocracies are run not by one bad actor, but by sophisticated networks relying on kleptocratic financial structures, security services—military, paramilitary, police—and technological experts who provide surveillance, propaganda, and disinformation. The democratic world is in denial about how it has unwittingly helped to consolidate this new reality. What we stand to lose is our ability to dictate our own economic future and possibly our democratic systems.

Joining legendary foreign correspondent Luke Harding, historian and journalist Anne Applebaum shares how rogue states survive under sanctions, what anonymous companies mean for democracy, and what is at stake in November for America and the world beyond.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lhakpa Sherpa broke a record: she was the first Nepali woman to climb and descend Everest. Then she broke another: summiting for the tenth time, she had now summited the tallest peak in the world more times than any other woman. But the gruelling ascent mirrored her own journey through life: from braving her way and disguising herself as a man to become a sherpa, to finding the courage to leave a violent marriage to give her daughters a better life, Lhakpa has shown that there is no summit she cannot overcome.

In conversation with filmmaker Lucy Walker whose film Mountain Queen follows Lhakpa’s record-breaking tenth summit and illuminates her extraordinary life, Lhakpa shares her inspiring story and her lifelong dream of empowering women.

Image credit: Netflix

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices