Podcasts · The Intelligence from The Economist
Wake-up haul: an Ozempic moment for the brain
· 22 min
Episode Wake-up haul: an Ozempic moment for the brain
Orexins are peptides involved in the body’s sleep-wake system—and are big pharma’s next big thing. Like multi-purpose GLPs, they may have far more uses than just regulating shuteye. We ask why Japan’s post-war innovation boom petered out, and what must be done to breed more unicorns. And why procrastination seems to be on the rise, and how to beat it.
Guests and host:
• Shailesh Chitnis, global business correspondent • Ethan Wu, Asia business and finance editor • Benjamin Sutherland, science writer • Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” • Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Topics covered:
• orexins, peptides, sleep disorders, pharmaceuticals • Japan, innovation, startups • procrastination
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Links in the notes 5
- https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/08/11/the-brain-may-be-about-to-have-its-ozempic-moment?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
- https://www.economist.com/business/2026/08/13/japans-downbeat-startups-need-a-lift?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
- https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/07/31/how-to-stop-procrastinating?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
- https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus
- https://acast.com/privacy
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