Month: November 2020

It is March 13, 2016. Two men, dressed in winter coats and woolen hats to defend against the frigid night air, walk side-by-side through the crowded streets of downtown Seoul. Locked in animated conversation, they seem oblivious to the pulsating neon enticements of the surrounding dumpling houses and barbeque joints. They are visitors, come to […]

Artificial intelligence has just solved one of biology’s most vexing challenges: how to determine the three-dimensional shape of a protein. DeepMind, the London-based A.I. company that is owned by Google-parent Alphabet, has created an A.I. system it calls AlphaFold 2 that uses a protein’s DNA sequence to predict its folded shape, frequently to within an […]

On Thursday, President Donald Trump said he’d accept defeat if President-elect Joe Biden wins 270 electoral votes when members of the Electoral College vote on December 14. Trump’s court challenges have been unsuccessful at flipping Biden’s wins in battleground states like Georgia and Wisconsin. That leaves convincing Biden electors to ditch him as the President’s […]

Hugo is furious. He’s sitting across from me, arms crossed, face scowling, exuding bad energy. Sitting next to him is Maia. She’s signing the praises of a third colleague Denise, who is up for a promotion. “She gets glowing reviews from her supervisors. She’s clearly overdue for this promotion. I’ve worked a lot with her […]

Good morning.  NYU tech guru Scott Galloway wins the prize for getting the first book to market on the post-Corona economy. He quickly and correctly zeroed in on what makes this economic crisis so distinct from those of the past: it was an accelerant, not a retardant. “A virus one four-hundredth the width of a human hair […]

Universal Studios Japan plans to open its $580 million Nintendo attraction on Feb. 4, finally debuting a long-delayed effort to introduce Mario and other beloved characters to real-world theme park visitors. Super Nintendo World, built on the existing Universal Studios Japan site, is envisioned as a life-sized replica of Nintendo Co.’s most popular games with […]

This is an installment of Startup Year One, a special series of interviews with founders about the major lessons they have learned in the immediate aftermath of their businesses’ first year of operation. Many new skin care and beauty brands tout leaning on ingredients that are natural, vegan, and intended for all skin types. But […]

Mumbai. Jakarta. Manila. All of these mega-metropolises share a global risk, scientists say: they could be breeding grounds for the next pandemic. A group of international researchers, led by scientists at the University of Sydney, have mapped out the cities that offer the ripest conditions for the incubation of viruses that could jump from animals […]

Our mission to make business better is fueled by readers like you. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today. Like most European countries, Germany has spent November in COVID-19 lockdown, albeit a relatively mild version. And as in many of Germany’s neighbors, the lockdown will be eased over Christmas. But when will it actually […]

The 2020 holiday season is going to be a little different, to say the least. We won’t be traveling. We won’t be hosting cocktail parties or soirees. And many of us won’t be able to visit our loved ones. But what we can still do is give a special gift, and let those near and […]