Babbage: Put to the test

<p>A shortage of covid-19 tests around the world has hampered efforts to contain it. Could "pool sampling" be a solution? Also, the promise of <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/08/01/what-the-million-mile-battery-means-for-electric-cars?utm_campaign=babbage&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_source=third-party-host&amp;utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">million-mile electric car batteries</a>? And, Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, a developmental biologist at the University of Cambridge and Caltech, on the mysteries of life after conception. Kenneth Cukier hosts&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Please subscribe to <em>The Economist</em> for full access to print, digital and audio editions:</p><p><a href="http://www.economist.com/podcastoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/podcastoffer</a></p> &#10;&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color: grey; font - size: 0.75em; '>See <a style='color: grey; ' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>