EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY Nuclear Propulsion Is Almost Here Key Takeaway NASA and DARPA are collaborating on a nuclear rocket engine to accelerate space exploration, reducing transit time and providing higher payload capacity. This technology offers a competitive advantage in military defense, scientific inquiry, and commerce. The US is developing DRACO, a nuclear engine, spacecraft, and launch vehicle by 2027, using high-assay low-enriched uranium […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE Is Hydrogen The Way Forward? Key Takeaway Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but can be isolated and used as a fuel to store energy and reduce emissions. It can also be blended with natural gas in existing power plants to reduce emissions. Green H2 is CO2-free, but is costly due to the high energy required to […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK TECHNOLOGY The EV Transition Isn’t Really About Cars Key Takeaway: The race to decarbonize passenger cars and light-duty trucks in the U.S. offers big economic and environmental benefits, but they’re not spread equitably. People who bear the most burdens in our current transportation systems often receive the fewest benefits. Bans on sales of new gas-powered vehicles won’t affect those that are already on […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK PSYCHOLOGY The Biggest Lessons From Social Psychology Last spring, I took a class on social psychology. It was one of the most useful classes I’ve ever taken, so I figured I’d share some of the more interesting findings. Each paragraph has a citation to its right so you can get more information or read the original study. 1. Reciprocity has a strong […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK Getting To Net-Zero Key Takeaways: With the federal government promising over US$360 billion in clean energy incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, energy companies are already lining up investments. Some have resisted clean energy mandates. At a regional scale, industry leaders said, it can be easier to identify shared goals. However, as utilities from more far-flung (and less […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK Making EVs Without China’s Supply Chain? Key Takeaways: Two electrifying moves in recent weeks have the potential to ignite electric vehicle demand in the United States. The bulk of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo but processed and turned into lithium-ion battery components by Chinese companies. In the spirit of “friend-shoring,” the Biden administration could think […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY How Stoicism Influenced Music Key Takeaways: Have you ever turned to music when struggling with a difficult emotion, like sadness, anxiety or anger? Mental health held particular salience for the band. According to Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, the album is about “life with a heartbeat,” and the band signals this by opening and closing the album with a slow, […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY TECHNOLOGY How News Drives Economic Change News of a big pay rise might see you booking the nearest fancy restaurant for a slap-up meal to celebrate, or encourage you to go on a shopping spree even before your raise hits your bank account. Recent research shows that this is also essentially what happens on a wider economic scale when news breaks about future […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK Has Japan Been Left Behind In The Global EV Race? Key Takeaways: Sony and Honda’s announcement that their alliance to produce electric vehicleswill see the creation of an independent company with a new brand typifies the challenges the Japanese motor industry faces in transitioning away from petrol and diesel vehicles. A world beater that created its own management philosophy has been living in a comfort […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE The Holy Grail Of Physics When I wrote about superconductors and called them “the technology that will change everything”, I couldn’t help but feel an itch in the back of my mind — a vague notion that graphene and superconductors had a deeper relationship that hadn’t yet been explored. Both were materials which held a rightful fascination in the world of […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
How China Makes Economic Plans Key Takeaway China’s decision-making calendar is structured with key moments when it makes plans for its economic and political future. These include two sessions, study sessions of the politburo, and the declaration of President Xi Jinping’s third term as general secretary. The Chinese political calendar features seven plenary sessions to establish a unified vision for […] Written by Mark Greeven May 24, 2023May 24, 2023 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Science Of Cringe Key Takeaway Cringe is a physical and emotional emotion that can help people better understand themselves and one another. A recent study showed that cringe-filled entertainment can actually help people better understand themselves and one another. The study found that binge-watching a show with cringeworthy moments can be therapeutic, as it reminds us of the […] Written by Anuja Anil Pradhan May 23, 2023May 23, 2023 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Concept Of Beauty In The Middle Ages Key Takeaway: Standards of beauty have been embedded in different cultures since time immemorial, often based on binary notions of idealised forms of femininity or masculinity. Eleanor Janega’s book explores medieval women’s social roles to consider the ways that women’s roles have and haven’t changed. Religious women in the middle ages used weaponised beauty to […] Written by Empirics Asia May 5, 2023May 5, 2023 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
What It Means To Be Authentic In The Age Of A.I. Key Takeaway: Authenticity is important for both individuals and society, as it is a social glue that reinforces trust. People need to reexamine and recalibrate how authenticity is judged. Social science offers guidance on what makes something feel authentic. George Newman found three dimensions of authenticity: historical authenticity, categorical authenticity, and values and beliefs. Generative […] Written by Victor Lee May 3, 2023May 3, 2023 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Importance Of Solitude Key Takeaway: Solitude is different from loneliness, as it can be found in public spaces and can have a positive impact on our daily mood. It can help us deal with feelings of frustration, agitation or anger. Spending time alone can be difficult and lonely, so it is important to have something to do during […] Written by Thuy-vy Nguyen May 2, 2023May 2, 2023 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Future Of Digital Journalism After BuzzFeed Key Takeaway: Buzzfeed News has announced it will shut its award-winning news division for good, laying off 60 journalists. This is bad news for those involved and a tragedy for the wider digital news media, as it produced hard-edged, scoop-heavy journalism. Media companies sought to emulate Buzzfeed’s irreverent and flippant style, but its quality journalism […] Written by Sean Dodson May 1, 2023May 1, 2023 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Will The Earth Last Forever? Key Takeaway: The Earth formed from a nebula 4.6 billion years ago, and the atmosphere of the early Earth was not oxygen-rich. Cyanobacteria were the first organisms to produce oxygen, and humans emerged 200,000-2 million years ago. The Sun provides energy and plants for food and oxygen. The Earth’s surface is constantly changing, leading to […] Written by Shichun Huang April 20, 2023April 20, 2023 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
