Critical Themes
One processor. Five clues. Built for the Moon, Mars and beyond. Radiation-proof. AI-ready. All real. All 2026. Modern AI chips dominate data centres on Earth—but they cannot survive the brutal conditions of deep space. Now, NASA and its partners have built a next-generation processor designed to think, adapt and make decisions millions of kilometres from … Read more
Global trade depends not only on ports and ships but also on a handful of strategic maritime chokepoints. Among them, the Malacca Strait and the Taiwan Strait have emerged as the world’s two most important sea lanes, each carrying over one-fifth of global maritime trade. Recent geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific have once again highlighted … Read more
Artificial intelligence is advancing at an unprecedented pace, transforming industries, accelerating scientific discoveries, and automating complex tasks. While these breakthroughs promise enormous economic and social benefits, they also raise concerns about AI safety, governance, and the emergence of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). To address these challenges, researchers have proposed AI 2040: Plan A—a long-term roadmap … Read more
Most consumers have heard of inflation, shrinkflation (smaller packs), and cheapflation (cheaper ingredients). But a new trend called Skimpflation is changing the economy in a more subtle way. Instead of charging more or reducing product quantity, companies are cutting the quality of products or services while keeping prices largely unchanged. The result? Consumers pay the … Read more
Obesity treatment is undergoing its biggest transformation since bariatric surgery. What began with drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy has evolved into a new generation of medicines that target multiple metabolic pathways simultaneously. Researchers now believe obesity is not merely a lifestyle issue but a complex biological disease that can be treated through hormones regulating appetite, … Read more
Since the military coup of February 2021, Myanmar has descended into one of the world’s worst humanitarian and security crises. Once a country on a path toward democracy and economic growth, it is now engulfed in a brutal civil war marked by mass displacement, economic collapse, widespread airstrikes, and one of the largest humanitarian emergencies … Read more
The world’s largest corporations are no longer just businesses—they have become economic, political, and technological power centers. With market values exceeding $1 trillion, many companies now influence national economies, global supply chains, and even geopolitics. As their influence grows, experts increasingly classify these corporate giants into three distinct “tribes” based on how they are governed … Read more
The battle for AI supremacy has entered a new phase. Just days after Anthropic restored access to its Claude Fable 5 models following a brief suspension caused by U.S. export-control issues, OpenAI responded with its biggest release of the year—the GPT-5.6 family, introducing GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra, and Luna. Rather than launching a single flagship model, … Read more
Artificial intelligence is often promoted as a tool that boosts human productivity. But a growing concept known as the Reverse Centaur suggests the opposite may be happening. Instead of AI serving people, humans are increasingly being forced to serve AI systems—following algorithmic instructions, correcting machine errors, and adapting their work to meet the needs of … Read more
Plants may appear motionless, but beneath the soil they constantly make critical survival decisions. In a landmark study published in Science (2026), researchers identified a previously unknown plant behavior called Saprotropism—the remarkable ability of roots to detect underground decay and actively grow away from it before harmful microbes can attack. The discovery reveals that plant … Read more