An old lake bed reveals evidence of America’s first inhabitants
Sep 25th 2021THESE TRACKS, from a dried-up lake bed in New Mexico, are one of several sets which radiocarbon evidence suggests were made between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago. They are described in this week’s Science by Matthew Bennett of Bournemouth University, in Britain, and his colleagues, and are the oldest undisputed evidence of human…
Why it is wise to add bitcoin to an investment portfolio
Sep 25th 2021“DIVERSIFICATION IS BOTH observed and sensible; a rule of behaviour which does not imply the superiority of diversification must be rejected both as a hypothesis and as a maxim,” wrote Harry Markowitz, a prodigiously talented young economist, in the Journal of Finance in 1952. The paper, which helped him win the Nobel prize…
America’s debt ceiling is a disaster, though fiscal rules can help
Sep 25th 2021IT IS ONCE again time for that most bizarre of economic spectacles, a debt-ceiling showdown in America. In the name of fiscal responsibility, the world’s biggest economy is flirting with an act of brazen irresponsibility: a sovereign default. The government has just about exhausted its current statutory debt limit of $28.5trn, after which…
Myanmar’s resistance movement is turning violent
Sep 25th 2021UNTIL FEBRUARY 1ST, when General Min Aung Hlaing mugged his country by ousting the civilian government, Zaw Maung Myint (not his real name) was just another urban youth with soft hands and a penchant for social media. Not long ago, however, he slipped into the jungles of Myanmar’s borderlands. There he has been…
The International Criminal Court takes on Rodrigo Duterte
F OR ONCE, Rodrigo Duterte exercised his right to remain silent. The last time the Philippine president crossed swords with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague was in June, when its prosecutors sought judges’ permission to investigate him. At the time he reacted with dismissal: “Bullshit!” Yet when the court announced on September…
Algeria’s ex-president is dead, but his regime lives on
Sep 25th 2021FINALLY THE rumours are true. For years Algerians whispered about the health of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, their president from 1999 to 2019. After suffering a stroke in 2013 he was rarely seen in public, often leading to speculation that he was dead. When the whispers grew too loud, officials would roll him out in…
Nigerian megachurches practise the prosperity they preach
“THE LORD loves a cheerful giver,” proclaims a preacher as she warms up the congregants for Bishop David Abioye’s third service of the day in the 15,000-seater Living Faith church near Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. “As you drop your offerings today, your financial captivity will be turned around for good,” she promises. Slipped in among the…
Why some fruits ripen on the branch
Sep 22nd 2021BANANAS, APPLES, and avocados continue to ripen after they are picked. Cherries, blackberries and grapes do not. The difference between climacteric fruits (the former) and non-climacteric fruits (the latter) matters to fruit growers and greengrocers, who must make sure their wares are in tip-top condition when they arrive at the marketplace. But how…