The 2002 science fiction thriller 28 Days Later, depicting the effects of an outbreak of a virulent genetically engineered plague, was described as the first great apocalyptic movie of the new millennium. The film’s narrative …
Getting a handle on the ‘cyber’ It’s been a big week in internet regulation, with unsavoury activities being plugged left and right. GoDaddy, a major domain registration service, evicted the Daily Stormer from its platform, …
Synthetic biology is the stuff of dreams and nightmares. Oil-producing algae? Synthetic biology can help. Artificial life? Ask Craig Venter; he’s building his own. Poliovirus cooked up in a test tube? That’s nasty—but too late, …
A tuberculosis epidemic is on Australia’s doorstep. As of January 2016, Papua New Guinea’s island of Daru—located in the Torres Strait—has the highest rate of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in the world, with more than 160 …
In 2016 we live in a comparatively peaceful world. No great power is at war with another. Even middle-power conflict is absent: no Iran–Iraq war with chemical weapons being tossed about, for example. Wars can …