Research

Explore our collection of articles on the leading megatrends in technology, politics, and society.

Filter: Short-form articles

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Africa is set to become world’s largest free trade area

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Illegal streaming holds the media industry in check

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21st century Luddites target self-driving cars

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Scaling bitcoin with the lightning network

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The future of Europe from an Asian perspective

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Particularly deadly matter

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The VAR system and the datafication of everyday life

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Facebook’s strategy for a decentralized future

Will Facebook orchestrate its own disruption?

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Slowing down fast fashion

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Inequality in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

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Netflix’s Bandersnatch: the beginning of embedded content interfaces

Netflix's interactive film 'Bandersnatch' could set the trend for embedded content interfaces in films and shows.

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Farming in the Anthropocene by improving photosynthesis

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Retroscope 2018: Hegemonic cycle

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Retroscope 2018: Socio-cultural

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Retroscope 2018: Disruption in the making

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Open-source software is eating the world

Open-source software is crucial in our daily lives, and recent acquisitions of GitHub and Red Hat highlight its importance.

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The protein folding revolution

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Our polygenic scores tell us who we are

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Fighting terrorism has been a recurring issue in the history of Europe

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From bits to atoms

Will platforms like Uber and Airbnb continue to succeed without physical assets?

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Divided Brazil will be urged to look inwards

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A return to utopian thinking

In the last decade, pragmatic utopian thinking has gained considerable popularity in different domains.

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Google predicts a rising Chinese internet

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Facebook’s flirt with crypto and blockchain

Will Big Tech companies like Facebook have a role in the crypto landscape?

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Technical hurdles towards the cryptoworld

Arief Hühn outlines possible solutions to the current limitations of the crypto world.

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Apple’s quest for the disappearing computer

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Solar power nears terminal velocity

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Shadow power in the global technological arms race

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Migration concentration

The planet as an emerging category

On living with – not on – the planet.

A new dawn for nationalist parties?

For many, the brutal geopolitical awakening caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China threatening to invade Taiwan means freedom is back on the political agenda...

Who has to pay the costs of climate change?

Issuing appeals for hundreds of millions in emergency funding to help victims of climate change might soon be a standard procedure.

"Creative" AI is recreating the creative industry

In the past few months, creative AI systems such as DALL-E and Midjourney have taken the internet by storm with their “artistic” creations.

How will the metaverse and web3 influence social media?

Brace yourself, the 2D newsfeeds gracing our screens might soon be part of internet history.

Geopolitical nonalignment in the 21st century

Escalating tensions in Taiwan and Ukraine are pressuring the world to choose an alignment, yet many nations refuse to choose sides.

The fragmentation of social media

When Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian are starting to revolt, you know Instagram is getting into trouble...

The return of industrial policy

The Dutch government is rethinking industrial policy—more coordination is on the horizon.

AI regulations may see a Beijing effect

Is Europe too late to cause a Brussels effect on AI technology?

Globalization can still be a force for good

A general narrative is emerging that international trade and cooperation are on the decline. Is it accurate?