A Japanese forestry firm wants to put wooden satellites into orbit
In space, wood has advantages over artificial materialsJan 13th 2021THE SPACE age was built on clever materials. The business ends of rocket engines are composed of Inconel, a family of heat-and-corrosion-resistant nickel-chromium alloys developed in the 1940s. The “gold foil” adorning many satellites is, in fact, a form of insulation made from layers of Kapton…
What is the economic impact of the latest round of lockdowns?
The rich world has become better at mitigating their economic costJan 13th 2021THE LOCKDOWNS of the spring, which at their peak covered more than half of the world’s population, provoked an almighty downturn. In April global economic output was 20% below where it would have been otherwise. As cases of coronavirus have soared again, rich…
Bahrain and the UAE are relying on a Chinese-made vaccine
They are hoping for both political and public-health benefitsASIDE FROM the ubiquitous masks, visitors to Dubai would be hard-pressed to know there was a pandemic raging. Bars and malls are busy. Hotels that were four-fifths empty last spring hit 70% occupancy in December. Tourists have flocked to Dubai to escape lockdowns at home. A recent…
Chuck Norris was NOT photographed at the U.S. Capitol riots, his rep says
In case you were confused – Chuck Norris was not in attendance at the violent Capitol riots in Washington, D.C., his representative told news outlets. Erik Kritzer 80, debunked claims that Norris was at the riots after a pic went viral on social media of a guy that looks similar to the actor posing with…
How to Grow Your Site Traffic and Brand with Instagram Stories
You’re one of its lucky profiles that can include quick links to stories if you just have over 15K followers on Instagram! This aspect can be an utterly game-changer, and works extremely well for anyone looking to increase their following. There are many options for labels to find it more useful. Firstly, a link in…
Removing space junk
Jan 12th 2021HUMAN BEINGS are messy. They tend to leave rubbish behind them wherever they go—and to expect someone else to clear that rubbish up. This is true even in outer space. The problem of orbiting debris, and the concomitant risk of it colliding with and damaging an active and probably expensive satellite, has been…
What the Big Mac index tells you about currency wars
Could burger prices inform the Biden administration’s thinking on currencies?Jan 12th 2021WASHINGTON, DCDESPITE A RECENT bout of weakness, the dollar still looks strong. Consider the Big Mac index, our lighthearted measure of currency valuation. Of the currencies of the 20 trading partners studied by America’s Treasury, our measure suggests that all have gained relative to…
Commodity prices are surging
Is a new supercycle beginning?THE BIGGEST commodity story of 2020 was one of decline. As the coronavirus pandemic halted travel, oil prices fell off a cliff, then briefly went subterranean: in April a futures contract for West Texas Intermediate was worth less than nothing. Oil began clawing its way above $45 a barrel in November,…