Showing 1 - 10 of 42
A paradigm shift for animal tests
Oped, Peter Singer & Sankalpa Ghose, Published on 17/10/2025
» Even in an era of intense political polarisation, there are still moments when a bipartisan consensus can emerge around important ethical issues. One such moment is happening now. Last April, the United States Food and Drug Administration released its "Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies". The FDA said that it was taking "a groundbreaking step" that would advance public health and limit wasteful expenditure by replacing animal testing with "more effective, human-relevant methods".
Floods 'a recurring nightmare'
Oped, George G van der Meulen & Chamniern Vorratnchaiphan, Published on 16/09/2025
» Thailand has faced floods for more than a century. Some years are worse than others, but the pattern is consistent. The catastrophic 2011 floods remain the most painful reminder: according to the World Bank, they caused US$46.5 billion (1.5 trillion baht) in economic losses, displaced 13 million people, and claimed approximately 800 lives. Much of the country's industrial heartland was submerged for months, severely impacting global supply chains.
Terminal volunteers can save lives
News, Peter Singer & Benjamin L Sievers, Published on 13/09/2025
» At the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), a programme called Last Gift offers terminally ill patients the opportunity to help create more effective treatments. Their special circumstances transform the usual risk-benefit calculus of joining a clinical study of an untested drug. Researchers can ask them to consider consenting to being research participants in ways that they would not ask healthier people with long life expectancies, and terminally ill patients may choose to give that consent when others would be less likely to do so.
Artificial intelligence is not your friend
Oped, Peter G. Kirchschläger, Published on 18/08/2025
» Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI's Sam Altman have been aggressively promoting the idea that everyone -- children included -- should form relationships with AI "friends" or "companions". Meanwhile, multinational tech companies are pushing the concept of "AI agents" designed to assist us in our personal and professional lives, handle routine tasks, and guide decision-making.
Global banking rules need review
News, Vera Songwe & Jendayi Frazer & Peter Blair Henry, Published on 29/07/2025
» In an era of shrinking resources for development finance, global policymakers must shift their focus to making better use of existing funds. Identifying and removing regulatory barriers that hinder the efficient deployment of capital to emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) is a good place to start.
US hard power must get harder
Oped, Todd G. Buchholz & Michael Mindlin, Published on 05/06/2025
» In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford gets his biggest laugh when a desert assassin twirls a scimitar with menacing bravado. Following this brief performance, Ford's character cracks a wry smile, takes out his pistol, and shoots the man dead. In a potential contest with China, the United States looks more like the medieval assassin, deploying young sailors and soldiers equipped with perilously outdated, vulnerable technology.
Trump must learn from history's Arctic profiteers
Oped, Peter C. Mancall, Published on 18/04/2025
» The US president has not been subtle about his goals for the Arctic: "We'll go as far as we have to go" to acquire Greenland, he stated while sitting behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office. The desk, made from the British Arctic exploring vessel called HMS Resolute, is itself a reminder of the northern voyages of empire builders -- the type of pursuit the president is after.
Mobile operators need competition
News, Peter Cramton & Erik Bohlin, Published on 31/03/2025
» Thailand's mobile communications market has two service providers with an equal share of customers. In economic terms, it is a symmetric duopoly. This is the worst market structure because the two can easily discipline each other to limit competition: "I'll match any lower price you set; I'll limit 5G and 6G investment if you do." This reciprocity limits competition in price and quality, which helps the carriers' shareholders but harms consumers, especially in the long run, through slower innovation in a critical infrastructure industry.
DeepSeek: A game changer in AI efficiency?
Business, Peter Hanbury and Jue Wang, Published on 20/03/2025
» DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup founded in 2023, has quickly made waves in the global industry. With fewer than 200 employees and backed by the quant fund High-Flyer ($8 billion in assets under management), the company released its open-source model, DeepSeek R1, one day before the announcement of OpenAI's $500-billion Stargate project in the United States.
Aid freeze a blow to global efforts
News, CHRIS GREACEN & PETER duPONT, Published on 07/02/2025
» It turns out the US government does important work around the world; work that, when suddenly cut off, leaves real people suffering.