EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE SOCIOLOGY TECHNOLOGY The Rise Of Robotic Kitchens Key Takeaway: The rise of robotic kitchens is transforming the way we prepare and consume meals, potentially altering the fabric of society. While these innovations are currently being adopted primarily by restaurants and food businesses, it’s only a matter of time before they make their way into homes. The convenience of robotic kitchens could bring […] 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 Food On Mars? Key Takeaway: NASA plans to set up colonies on Mars in the next few decades, but these missions require astronauts to produce their own food. To do this, they need to establish self-perpetuating systems that require minimal Earth input. Aquaponics, a food production system that pairs aquaculture with hydroponics, has been tested to supply food […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE Why Physicists Fear The Theory Of Everything Key Takeaway: The boom period of physics, led by Albert Einstein and Max Planck, led to the discovery of a theory of everything, uniting quantum mechanics with Einstein’s theory of general relativity. However, there is still no tried and tested theory of everything, and fear of failure is a significant factor. Physicists like Arthur Eddington, […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE NASA’s Search For Life On Mars Key Takeaway: NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rover missions are investigating the planet’s evidence for life, known as its “biosignatures,” in unprecedented detail. The rovers are acting as extraterrestrial detectives, hunting for clues that life may have existed eons ago, including evidence of long-gone liquid surface water, life-sustaining minerals, and organic molecules. The Mars of today […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK PSYCHOLOGY Understanding The Sunk Cost Fallacy Key Takeaway: The sunk cost fallacy is a common tendency where people make decisions based on past costs rather than current events or future events. This can lead to high-stakes decisions and can affect choices that have bigger consequences for our lives. For example, Bob might base his decision on the original price of a […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK POLITICS SOCIOLOGY Some Silicon Valley Investors Are Trying To Create A Utopian City Key Takeaway: George Bernard Shaw referred to Ebenezer Howard’s “garden cities” concept in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which he believed would offer the advantages of town and country without the drawbacks. Recently, a Silicon Valley consortium called Flannery Associates purchased land for California Forever, a contentious project that echoes Howard’s ideas. Howard’s […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY Uranium And The Future Of The Nuclear Industry Key Takeaway: The uranium market has seen a surge in prices since mid-August, with prices around US$48 per pound (453g). This is due to investors and speculators scrambling to buy the commodity, which is limited to nuclear power production and medical equipment. The demand for uranium is distributed across 445 nuclear power plants operating in […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
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 TECHNOLOGY Is Web3 A Fad? Key Takeaway: Web3 is an alternative vision of the web where the services are purely algorithmic things hosted by everybody, and has been called “the hyperfinancialization of all human existence”. Data is no longer easily accessible, making it difficult for entrepreneurs to acquire more users, leading to a stagnant cycle. Web3 startups have focused on […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Consciousness Conundrum Key Takeaway: The mystery of consciousness has been a subject of debate for centuries, with numerous theories vying for the title. In 2024, the Cogitate Consortium conducted an “adversarial collaboration” between Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT) and Integrated Information Theory (IIT). The study aimed to test the theories under neutral conditions, revealing that confirmation bias […] Written by Empirics Asia May 2, 2025May 2, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Illusion Of Control Key Takeaway: Magicians have long exploited the quirks in our perception and thought processes, manipulating the gaps between perception and reality. Recent scientific research shows that the real magic lies in what their craft can teach us about the human brain. Magic is increasingly becoming a research tool in psychology and cognitive science, uncovering profound […] Written by Empirics Asia April 30, 2025April 30, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Is Big Tech Killing Free Speech or Saving It? Key Takeaway: President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship” accused the previous administration of stifling free expression by working with social media companies to curb misinformation and label misleading content. However, recent research suggests that less regulation can actually make the internet a less free place for speech, […] Written by Empirics Asia April 23, 2025April 23, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
How The Brain Learns Key Takeaway: Recent research published in Science has revealed that the brain uses multiple learning mechanisms simultaneously, revealing the complexity behind brain wiring. Neurons communicate through electric signals called synapses, which form complex networks of connections that transmit information. The traditional theory of synaptic plasticity assumes uniformity between neurons, but the new study found that […] Written by Empirics Asia April 22, 2025April 22, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Did We Just Discover Life On A Distant Planet? Key Takeaway: A new study published in Nature Astronomy claims that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has detected atmospheric signals on K2-18b, a distant world 124 light-years from Earth. The researchers found traces of molecules often associated with biological activity on Earth, including dimethyl sulphide (DMS). The scientists are 99.7% confident in the presence […] Written by Empirics Asia April 21, 2025April 21, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Why So Many People Believe In The Supernatural Key Takeaway: Belief in the supernatural, including ghosts, spirits, astrology, and psychic powers, is more common than people might expect. These beliefs offer a sense of control, meaning, and comfort in the face of life’s unpredictability. They fall outside the boundaries of conventional science and include ideas like fate, spiritual forces, and life after death. […] Written by Empirics Asia April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Future Merging Of Mind And Machine Key Takeaway: Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is rapidly redefining human potential, with breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and machine learning enabling the translation of thoughts into action. The brain is a complex network of over 80 billion neurons, processing thoughts, memories, emotions, and sensory inputs. Advances in AI, miniaturized electronics, and neuroimaging have led to the […] Written by Empirics Asia April 16, 2025April 16, 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