BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK The Flawed Theory Behind Why Nations Prosper Key Takeaway: Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson were awarded the 2024 Nobel Memorial Prize in economics for their book Why Nations Fail, which argued that countries succeed when they adopt inclusive institutions like democracy, while extractive institutions stifle growth by concentrating power and wealth in elites. However, their theory has faced criticism for […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE Volcanoes On The Moon? Key Takeaway: China’s Chang’e 5 mission has challenged long-held assumptions about the Moon’s volcanic past, suggesting eruptions occurred far more recently than expected. The lunar landscape might not have been as dormant as once believed, with volcanic activity on the Moon potentially being active as recently as 120 million years ago. The findings suggest that […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE The Mystery Of Horse Domestication Key Takeaway: Horse domestication remains a mystery, despite its significant impact on human civilization. The Indo-European or “Kurgan hypothesis” suggests that horse domestication began on the steppes of western Asia, specifically among the Yamnaya people. However, recent advances in technology have revealed that the horses from the Botai culture were not the ancestors of today’s […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE The Hidden Power Of Underwater Avalanches Key Takeaway: A study examining an ancient underwater avalanche off the coast of Morocco has challenged our understanding of these powerful events and their potential to disrupt global communications and infrastructure. These avalanches, also known as turbidity currents, are difficult to observe and measure, but their impact is undeniable, particularly on the intricate web of […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE Unveiling The Mysteries Of Death: The Human Autopsy Key Takeaway: An autopsy is a methodical, often quiet, and respectful examination of the body to uncover the truth about a death. It is conducted when the cause of death is unclear and the dignity of the deceased is a guiding principle. Autopsies are categorized into two types: non-coronial and coronial. Non-coronial autopsies are conducted […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE The Ancestor Of All Life On Earth Key Takeaway: A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution aims to reconstruct the genome of the last universal common ancestor, Luca, the ancient predecessor from which all life descends. Researchers analyzed genomes from bacteria and archaea, excluding eukaryotes, to determine their functions in modern organisms. They constructed phylogenetic trees, constructing 57 key genes […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE The Science Behind Science Key Takeaway: Science is a complex and multifaceted endeavor, with multiple models and theories working together to find solutions to problems. The public’s expectations of science need to be challenged to avoid unrealistic standards, as deviation from these ideals can breed skepticism. Science is a social enterprise that thrives on collective effort and constructive disagreement, […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK FINANCE Why Crypto Crashed Key Takeaway: Japan’s stock market plunged 12% on August 5, marking its worst day in 37 years. The fall was triggered by fears of a US economy slowdown, with the Nasdaq index dropping over 6% and the S&P 500 dipping by 4.25%. The US Federal Reserve’s chairman, Jerome Powell, suggested an interest rate cut in […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK STRATEGY The Business Impact Of Reduced Marketing Key Takeaway: A study published in The Journal of Marketing suggests that businesses often cut their marketing budgets for short-term savings, but these cuts can cause long-term problems. The study gathered transcripts of nearly 25,000 earnings calls held by public companies from 2008 to 2019. The more earnings-oriented language in the calls, the more likely […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE The Neuroscience Of Golf Key Takeaway: A study published in the Journal of Frontiers in Psychology found that successful golf putts show distinct patterns of brain activity. The research involved 28 expert-but-amateur golfers, who made 140 putts while wearing an EEG head system. The study found that successful putts showed a more pronounced decrease in beta activity during preparation […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
How DeepSeek Is Changing The Game Key Takeaway: DeepSeek, a Chinese AI lab, disrupted the artificial intelligence industry by developing a model rivaling OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 at a fraction of the cost. Founded by a former hedge fund manager, DeepSeek focused on efficiency and optimized algorithms for less powerful hardware. The company’s open-source approach has forced Chinese competitors to lower their own […] Written by Empirics Asia February 5, 2025February 5, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
How Will Quantum Computers Be Used? Key Takeaway: Quantum computing, a groundbreaking idea over 40 years ago, aims to process information using quantum mechanics. Qubits, which can embody 0, 1, or a blend of both, enable quantum systems to explore vast arrays of solutions simultaneously. Quantum entanglement, a phenomenon where qubits become intertwined, allows quantum computers to perform intricate calculations that […] Written by Empirics Asia February 4, 2025February 4, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
How Ultra-Fast Science Will Transform Our Future Key Takeaway: Attosecond science, a field that earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2023, uses ultra-short laser pulses to observe and manipulate matter on timescales previously thought impossible. This breakthrough has implications across various sectors, including computing, renewable energy, medicine, and beyond. Attosecond science harnesses the energy of laser light to emit rapidly moving […] Written by Empirics Asia January 22, 2025January 22, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Hidden Science Behind The Sky’s Colour Key Takeaway: The blue sky is a result of Rayleigh scattering, a process where shorter wavelengths of light scatter more than longer wavelengths. The atmosphere is composed of nitrogen and oxygen molecules, which interact with sunlight to create a spectrum of colors. This scattering process, which is governed by physics and chemistry, is the primary […] Written by Empirics Asia January 21, 2025January 21, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
How Korea’s Cultural Revolution Is Shaping The World Key Takeaway: South Korea’s cultural exports have surged to unprecedented heights, with the latest season of “Squid Game” solidifying its position as a global entertainment powerhouse. The “Korean Wave” or Hallyu, which includes TV series, movies, animation, and music, has generated approximately US$3.7 billion annually for South Korea through exports, consumer spending, and tourism. The […] Written by Empirics Asia January 20, 2025January 20, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Existence Of Extraterrestrial Life Key Takeaway: A study published in Nature Astronomy found a strong consensus among scientists that extraterrestrial life exists in the universe. The survey, which involved 521 astrobiologists and 534 non-astrobiologists, found that 86.6% agreed or strongly agreed that some form of extraterrestrial life exists. The study also found that 67.4% of astrobiologists and 58.2% of […] Written by Empirics Asia January 16, 2025January 16, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Rise Of Virtual Microbes? Key Takeaway: Researchers are using genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) to study the complexities of microbial life, offering innovative solutions to climate change and space challenges. GEMs simulate the vast network of metabolic pathways within living organisms, allowing scientists to test and predict microbial behavior across diverse environments. They provide a detailed framework for understanding organisms’ […] Written by Empirics Asia January 15, 2025January 15, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Rethinking Education Key Takeaways: The Industrial model of education that fueled the modern era and its dizzying reach did its job incredibly well. In his writing, Flynn illustrates study after study, spanning nations and decades, in which modern educational gift of abstraction — a transcendent sign of intelligence, as we saw in Raven’s Matrices — has been […] Written by Anthony Fieldman March 2, 2022October 19, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
How China Is Transforming Its Economy Through Learning I highly recommend reading the McKinsey Global Institute’s new report, “Reskilling China: Transforming The World’s Largest Workforce Into Lifelong Learners”, which focuses on the country’s biggest employment challenge, re-training its workforce and the adoption of practices such as lifelong learning to address the growing digital transformation of its productive fabric. How to transform the country […] Written by Enrique Dans February 1, 2021February 1, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Why You’re Not Seeing Success With Influencer Marketing With the new year around the corner, now is a good time to re-evaluate your past marketing strategies and gear up for the year ahead. For some businesses, influencer marketing has simply not seemed to live up to its lofty promises of genuine engagement, credibility, and transparency. Some have claimed that it has been failing […] Written by Michael Tan January 14, 2021January 15, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
A New Philosophy of Business I’m about to ask you to take a mental leap. For the next 8 minutes, suspend your notions of what a business is, and I’ll propose a new lens for you to look through. There are a lot of questions asked around what “community” means for business. “Where should community fit in my organization?” and […] Written by Empirics Asia September 5, 2018September 5, 2018 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked