How much preventative health monitoring is too much? Host Tom Standage travels to the year 2042 to find large-scale monitoring of people’s health as part of a shift from treatment to prevention⁠—and a debate about whether regular medical scans should be made compulsory. What role will wearable devices play, and how might new diagnostic tools affect health inequality?

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Are there some things we shouldn’t eat? Host Tom Standage travels to the year 2042 to find that animal-based meat is being pushed aside in favour of cultured meat grown in vats, a new industry dominated by three companies. He samples food grown from the cells of endangered animals and hears from a food activist. Back in the present day, we ask The Economist's Jon Fasman and Liz Specht, vice president of Science and Technology at the Good Food Institute, a non-profit group focused on reimagining protein production, to assess the likelihood of this imagined scenario. 

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The rapid development and roll-out of coronavirus vaccines has been a reminder of the power of science and technology to change the world. Host Tom Standage considers some of the technologies to watch in 2022, from 3D-printed housing and heat pumps to flying electric taxis and meetings in the metaverse. 

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Inflation in America has reached its highest level in four decades. What is the outlook for 2022? Host Tom Standage asks former US treasury secretary Larry Summers. Meanwhile, China is pushing ahead with its plans for a “central bank digital currency”. How do such digital coins stack up against cryptocurrencies?

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China is unlikely to reopen its borders in 2022 as it continues its zero-covid policy. What will the long-term impact of the pandemic be on tourism and business travel? Meanwhile, the tourist map of South-East Asia will look very different in 2022 as the number of destinations adopting the “sandbox” model is set to grow. Tom Standage hosts. 

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After a major UN climate summit, momentum behind climate policy often falters. But will that happen in 2022 in the wake of COP26? Climate cooperation is leading to some unlikely alliances and new reports on the impact of global warming underline greater urgency. Will significant action follow? Tom Standage hosts.

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Space was one of the only tourist destinations in 2021 that boomed. What are the prospects for extraterrestrial travel in 2022? Host Tom Standage talks to Sian Proctor, the first African-American woman to pilot a spacecraft, who took part in the first all-civilian orbital mission. And, how does science fiction relate to the new reality of space exploration?

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Why will 2022 be the year of the worker? Workers around the world suffered hardship in 2020 and 2021, but labour markets across the rich world have outperformed expectations.

For workers the work from home experiment has gone fairly well and they have more bargaining power than they have had for years. But how can employers ensure that the future of work is fair for all? Tom Standage hosts. 

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In wealthy and well-vaccinated countries, year three of the pandemic will be better than year two. But in countries that are poorer, less well vaccinated or both, the deleterious effects of the virus will linger. A disparity of outcomes between rich and poor countries will emerge. Meanwhile, tests and treatments for “long covid” are on the horizon and the mRNA technology used in some covid vaccines could be applied to other diseases. So could there be a “covid dividend”?

Host Tom Standage talks to The Economist's Edward Carr, Natasha Loder and Slavea Chankova.

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The rivalry between China and America will intensify in 2022 as each side strives to demonstrate the superiority of its system of government. As China uses its stage-managed Communist Party congress to cement Xi Jinping in power, Joe Biden and the Democratic Party are expected to face a drubbing in America’s mid-term elections. Editor-in-Chief Zanny Minton Beddoes, US editor John Prideaux and host Tom Standage assess the competition between the two superpowers. 

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