In The News

The Age of Disruption

Nayan Chanda May 13, 2015
Awareness of new patterns, discoveries and inventions can revolutionize entire industries or economies. Others quickly adapt or struggle. Richard Dobbs, James Manyika and Jonathan Woetzel are authors of “No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Global Forces Breaking All the Trends,” and “By combining data from disparate fields, they make a compelling argument about the disruptive forces that are re-...

Now We Can Edit the Human Genome, The Question Is: Should We?

Michael Brooks May 12, 2015
Researchers in Guangzhou wrote a scientific paper about editing the DNA of a non-viable human embryo for the journal Protein and Cell. The news was met with trepidation. Researchers are eager for tools to cure genetic diseases, but others label the methods as unethical. The researchers, examining embryos with a gene that causes a hereditary blood disorder, applied a “gene editor, a co-operative...

China, Pursuing Strategic Interests, Builds Presence in Antarctica

Jane Perlez May 7, 2015
China is extending its global reach under President Xi Jinping, and that includes Antarctica. “He signed a five-year accord with the Australian government that allows Chinese vessels and, in the future, aircraft to resupply for fuel and food before heading south,” reports Jane Perlez for the New York Times. “That will help secure easier access to a region that is believed to have vast oil and...

Tech Companies Struggle to Get World on Internet

Evelyn M. Rusli April 22, 2015
Two thirds of the world’s people still lack access to the internet. “The possibility of connecting those four billion people to the rest of the world has led to a big scramble by tech firms and helped fuel sky-high valuations for investors’ favorite apps and gadgets,” writes Evelyn Rusli for the Wall Street Journal. Yet the pace of getting people connected is slowing. “The hurdles include low...

China Halts New Policy on Tech for Banks

Paul Mozur and Jane Perlez April 20, 2015
China plans revisions on a policy that required foreign technology firms selling equipment to Chinese banks to turn over source code and other business secrets. The United States has accused hackers sponsored by the Chinese military of hacking corporate and government websites. China worries about surveillance installed with any US-made equipment. US officials anticipate the Chinese to encourage...

China Is Said to Use Powerful New Weapon to Censor Internet

Nicole Perlroth April 14, 2015
In March, China used a cyberweapon to redirect huge amounts of online traffic from Chinese search engine Baidu to targeted US websites. Rsearchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and University of Toronto have since suggested that the blitzes were orchestrated by a new weapon. “The Great Cannon, the researchers said in a report published on Friday, allows China to intercept foreign web...

The Robots Aren’t Threatening Your Job

Catherine Rampell April 10, 2015
Robotic technology with ever-improving artificial intelligence, sensors and other capabilities inspires awe, yet many workers fear a mass loss of jobs. Society should be optimistic though if policymakers plan ahead, argues Catherine Rampell for the Washington Post. “Across history, technological developments have caused certain skill sets and jobs to obsolesce, yes, but they have also created...