Aircraft carriers take to the air
Mar 24th 2021AIRCRAFT-CARRIERS are juicy targets. They are also increasingly vulnerable ones. Like medieval castles in the age of the cannon, technological advance threatens to make them redundant. Satellites and over-the-horizon radars mean pinpointing their locations is easier. And a single well-aimed, well-armed missile may be enough to render a carrier useless, even if one…
Just possibly, a route to the much-sought “new physics” has opened
An odd result from the LHC cannot easily be explained awayMar 24th 2021THE STANDARD model of particle physics is one of the most powerful theories in science. It is, though, incomplete. It describes a suite of fundamental particles and the forces through which they interact, but it fails to include gravity and dark matter (mysterious…
Just how anchored are America’s inflation expectations?
The legacy of the Biden stimulus—and of Jerome Powell—may depend on the answerMar 24th 2021SINCE DEMOCRATS proposed a $1.9trn fiscal stimulus in January, hawks have warned that America’s economy might overheat. With cheques for $1,400 now landing in bank accounts, President Joe Biden reportedly considering spending another $3trn on infrastructure and the Federal Reserve showing…
Congo-Brazzaville’s president is re-elected after his rival dies of covid-19
After nearly four decades in power, Denis Sassou-Nguesso has no plans to retireMar 24th 2021“WE ARE CELEBRATING the victory of our president,” says Arnaud Oyaba, standing next to a sweaty, chanting crowd. “And because they will give us some money to buy juice,” he adds, as an afterthought. The president of the Republic of Congo,…
‘Ellen DeGeneres Show’ Loses Over 1M Viewers Due To Toxic Workplace Scandal
Since crewmembers publicly stated there’s a toxic workplace at The Ellen Show, she’s hemorrhaged 1.5 million viewers over the past 180 days.The drop marks a 43% decrease in viewership, descending it below rivals like Dr. Phil and Live: With Kelly and Ryan, which each show averaging roughly 3 million. Ellen has also witnessed a plunge…
The taste for fermented food goes back a long way
Other primates have it tooMar 23rd 2021Whether it is miso or kimchi in Asia, wines, cheeses and sauerkraut in the West, or cauim and caxiri in South America, people all around the world consume a lot of fermented food and drink a lot of fermented drink. They also, as this list suggests, choose what to…
American officials question AstraZeneca’s vaccine results
Whether the company reported rosier data than it should have is unclearMar 23rd 2021A BAFFLING CONTROVERSY has unfolded over AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine. On the morning of March 22nd, the company announced positive results about the jab’s safety and efficacy from a clinical trial with 32,000 people conducted mostly in America. But late that night the…
Trade inflows in Asia fuel debate over currency intervention
Foreign-exchange reserves are both an insurance policy and a lightning rod for criticismIT MIGHT SEEM cause for celebration. Taiwan was already a standout economic performer in a pandemic-plagued world, and its good run, fuelled by semiconductor sales, is continuing. Orders for its exports soared by an eye-watering 49% in the first two months of 2021…