Israeli scientists monitoring samplings of sewage water in 2013 made a startling discovery: an outbreak of paralysing polio was imminent. A national vaccination campaign was quickly mobilised and no cases appeared. That same year, Swedish scientists provided public officials with an early warning for outbreaks of hepatitis A and norovirus using the same methods. If we are to regain, ...

Democratic rights in Asia have been under threat this past year, as leaders from India to Myanmar and Indonesia cracked down on protests, jailed activists and journalists, and took advantage of pandemic restrictions to stifle dissent. This backsliding on human rights is a key metric of the rising tide of populism that will hang heavily over the region in 2022. ...

You might think that the IPO of electric-truck wunderkind Rivian Automotive Inc — with its valuation soaring past $100 billion on zero revenue — perfectly captured the madness in autos in 2021. It was actually Rivian’s first quarterly results, when the company said it would miss its production target by “a few hundred” vehicles. Ever alert to any ripples in ...