Chang'e 5: China to launch sample return mission to the Moon – is it winning the new space race?

Some people are nervous about China's growing capabilities when it comes to space exploration.

John Bridges, Professor of Planetary Science, University of Leicester • conversation
Nov. 23, 2020 • ~6 min

American timber industry crippled by double whammy of trade war and COVID-19

Wood, a major export of the US, has taken a hit from international tariffs compounded by COVID-19.

Andrew Muhammad, Professor of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee • conversation
Nov. 16, 2020 • ~7 min

200 years ago, people discovered Antarctica – and promptly began profiting by slaughtering some of its animals to near extinction

For 200 years, a small number of countries have exploited the marine wildlife of Antarctica, often with devastating impact on their populations.

Alessandro Antonello, Senior Research Fellow in History, Flinders University • conversation
Nov. 13, 2020 • ~8 min

Central Asia risks becoming a hyperarid desert in the near future

We found evidence of irreversible ecological breakdown millions of years ago – this time round, we should heed the warning signs.

Natasha Barbolini, Senior postdoctoral fellow in palaeoecology, Stockholm University • conversation
Oct. 29, 2020 • ~7 min

China makes it hard for foreign businesses to work there -- but businesses keep chasing profits there

China represents one of the biggest consumer markets in the world. Can that potential profit offset the problems of investing for multinational corporations? Apparently, yes.

Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, Rochester Institute of Technology • conversation
Oct. 19, 2020 • ~9 min

The threat of 'killer robots' is real and closer than you might think

Outsourcing use-of-force decisions to machines violates human dignity and is incompatible with international law.

Ingvild Bode, Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Southern Denmark • conversation
Oct. 15, 2020 • ~7 min

Boris Johnson promises a UK offshore wind revolution – but China holds the monopoly on vital 'rare earth' metals

China has a monopoly on rare earth metals, so where will the materials for the UK's wind revolution come from?

Allan Walton, Professor of Critical and Magnetic Materials, University of Birmingham • conversation
Oct. 7, 2020 • ~5 min

What the world can learn from clean energy transitions in India, China and Brazil

Our research identified three key lessons.

Venkatesh Narayanamurti, Benjamin Peirce Professor of Technology and Public Policy, Harvard University • conversation
Oct. 2, 2020 • ~8 min

Ancient DNA is revealing the genetic landscape of people who first settled East Asia

By studying the DNA of people who lived in East Asia thousands of years ago, scientists are starting to untangle how the region was populated.

Melinda A. Yang, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Richmond • conversation
Sept. 15, 2020 • ~11 min

The US has lots to lose and little to gain by banning TikTok and WeChat

Banning the Chinese-owned social media platforms raises free speech concerns and could worsen the US-China trade war.

Jeremy Straub, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, North Dakota State University • conversation
Aug. 28, 2020 • ~10 min

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