The newly discovered planet Proxima b is about to change the focus of astronomy for decades to come —and maybe longer, if it reveals signs of life. The planet, some 25 trillion miles away from our own, is like a twin to Earth, but one separated at birth and living a very different kind of life. The discovery, which ...

  For a few decades, economists used to imagine how the world works, write down a theory describing their idea, and call it a day. If some statisticians came along and found some support for the theory, well, great! But usually they didn’t, and that was fine too. As one old joke put it, if an idea worked in practice, ...

  Bloomberg Stock markets across the world dipped on Monday as investors tried to second-guess the US Federal Reserve on the timing of its next interest rate hike. Tokyo, however, was the exception with stocks there soaring on a weaker yen. In a much-scrutinized speech, Fed chief Janet Yellen on Friday hinted at a US interest rate rise by the ...