Vox

The truth about gut health - July 21, 2026 - Vox

Worried about the spread of the diarrhea-causing illness cyclosporiasis? A healthier gut might better prepare your body to deal with it. With all the noise of wellness experts and coaches, we decided to go directly to doctors and researchers who have been studying gut health and the human microbiome for decades.

Gut health is everywhere right now. The hashtag #GutTok has over 6 billion views on TikTok, the global digestive health product market is worth over $60 billion, and viral trends that promise to “hack your gut” through miracle products, cleanses, and restrictive diets are all the rage. But what does gut health really mean, and what can science tell us about how to make sure our gut is in good shape?

With so many voices chiming in on gut health, pushing everything from probiotic foods and supplements to wellness shots and coffee enemas, it can be hard to tell what information is based on real research and what might just be a marketing gimmick or social media clickbait. Vox producer Benjamin Stephen spoke to doctors and visited Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles to bust some gut health myths for science-backed advice.

Read more about gut health and gut microbiome research:

Vox editor Katherine Courage’s book, Cultured: How Ancient Foods Can Feed Our Microbiome: https://katherinecourage.com/book/

Cedars-Sinai’s Human Microbiome Research Institute: https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/health-sciences-university/research/departments-institutes/medicine/human-microbiome.html

The MAST program at Cedars-Sinai: https://csmast.com/

Trisha Pasricha’s book, You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong: https://www.trishapasricha.com/youvebeenpoopingallwrong

Vox’s explainer video on probiotics in yogurt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYj09lx15ik

Pew Research’s findings on why people look to influencers for health and wellness information: https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2026/05/07/why-do-americans-get-information-from-health-and-wellness-influencers-and-how-do-they-find-them/

The Myths and Scientific Realities About Gut Microbiota: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12525918/

This video is presented by Colgate. Colgate doesn’t have a say in our editorial decisions, but they make videos like this one possible.

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The global baby bust | The Gray Area - July 20, 2026 - Vox

Birth rates are dropping and global population growth is slowing. Why? We’re heard all the different speculation: It’s the economy. It’s housing costs. It’s the feminists. But what if the biggest driver is that thing we all carry in our pockets?

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In today’s episode, guest host Christine Emba speaks with data journalist John Burn-Murdoch about declining fertility rates across vastly different cultures and economies. They discuss the role smartphones might play in this phenomenon, why governments have struggled to reverse the trend, and how dropping birthrates could change our economy and culture.

Guest Host Christine Emba, columnist and author

Guest: John Burn-Murdoch, Chief Data Reporter for The Financial Times

00:00 Intro

01:49 What is the replacement rate?

07:43 Why are birth rates dropping?

12:48 Why governments cannot reserve the trend

25:13 Why are birthrates dropping in developing countries?

33:02 Can birthrates recover?

42:40 How can we change our relationship to our phones?

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Dems are in the middle of a civil war. He’s at the heart of it | America, Actually - July 18, 2026 - Vox

First there was New York, then Colorado. But can a progressive candidate win a primary in the Rust Belt? And if so, what does that mean for the general election? Michigan has become the ultimate battleground for the future of the Democratic Party.

This week on America, Actually, host Astead Herndon dives into the party’s civil war by speaking to Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate running in a must-watch Senate race in Michigan.

00:00 What does it mean to be “electable?”

07:22 The Democratic Party's internal ideological war

14:54 Why Trump won Michigan in 2024

16:16 The story that Democrats need to sell to voters

18:47 Financial transparency

19:45 Rethinking America’s relationship with Israel

25:50 The stakes beyond Michigan

America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app.

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Why public opinion turned on AI | The Gray Area - July 17, 2026 - Vox

AI was supposed to make our lives better. Instead, it’s made many of us scared and angry. Communities are protesting data centers across the country, and polling shows most Americans think AI is moving too fast.

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In today's episode, guest host Miles Bryan talks with independent journalist Jasmine Sun, who argues that public attitudes toward AI are undergoing a fundamental shift. Jasmine argues that AI is seen not simply as a technology to adopt, but as an elite political project to resist. The two discuss “AI populism,” the parallels with the Industrial Revolution, how public opinion about AI may affect US politics, and how the leaders of Silicon Valley are unprepared for the growing backlash against AI.

Guest Host: Miles Bryan, Vox reporter and senior producer

Guest:Jasmine Sun, journalist

Find Jasmine’s Substack here: https://jasmi.news/

00:00 Intro

02:33 What is AI populism?

05:29 Why people are protesting data centers

09:11 Incidents of violence

12:11 What industrial revolution can teach us

22:14 Why people are anxious about AI

29:04 Social contracts in the AI era

34:41 China’s approach to AI

40:12 AI populism and American politics

And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube.

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