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Friday, January 9, 2026
TopicThe Conversation

Topic: The Conversation

Your fitness watch score isn’t a diagnosis. Don’t let it dictate your decisions

Health scores usually work by combining several internal signals into one clear indicator of how prepared you are to take on the day.

Shakespeare’s ‘Cymbeline’ explores how to live through the end of the world

What makes 'Cymbeline' a potent play for our age of anxiety is the collapse of everything known and the dissolving of old connections.

Ancient Rome used high tariffs to raise money too—and created economic problems

Tariffs of 25% in ancient Rome led to the rise of black markets—a potential challenge for the Trump administration too.

AI pets for lonely people. There’s a safety issue here

AI-driven products often rely on machine learning and cloud storage, meaning their ‘brains’ exist beyond the physical robot.

Don’t fall for the coffee enema trend. It can do more harm than good

Despite the expert critique, coffee enemas continue to be a social media wellness trend offered in many alternative health clinics as a method to cleanse the colon and detoxify the body.

Why it is important to do scientific work in Antarctica?

The geographic location of the Antarctic enables science that is less suitable elsewhere on the planet. An example of this is the work on space weather.

Why Washington and Moscow dividing the Arctic is a real possibility

If Trump and Putin do begin negotiations over the Arctic, Europe may simply have to accept the end of the Arctic Council and circumpolar cooperation.

Tibet language politics aren’t just Tibetan vs Mandarin. Minority languages are being erased

If Tibetans stop speaking Manegacha and other minority languages, this will contribute to the Chinese government’s efforts to erase Tibetan identity and culture.

Cannibalism was seen as medicine in Medieval Europe. This changed only in 7th century

Cannibalism was seen as medicine in Medieval Europe. This changed only in 7th century

How Trump the ‘master deal-maker’ failed when negotiating with Taliban in Afghanistan

Under Trump, the US talked directly to the Taliban, without the Afghan government in the room. This sidelined the Afghan republic from the negotiations.

On Camera

Why Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella needed a low-budget blog

The site is intended to become a written record of evidence Nadella is a big idea kind of guy. A cynic might call it a kind of intellectual cosplay.

Global economic growth to slow in 2026 as Trump’s tariffs bite, UN says

The global economy is forecast to expand 2.7% this year, down from an estimated 2.8% in 2025. Growth is expected to go back up to 2.9% by 2027.

2025: Pakistan’s deadliest year in over a decade

Islamabad-based think-tank PICSS's new report says Pakistan saw 'pronounced escalation' in violence last year, with 3,413 conflict-related deaths compared to 1,950 in previous year.

A year-end Mea Culpa in National Interest—The Army-Islam combo doesn’t kill democracy

Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.