At the core of most of the electronics we use today are some very tiny, very powerful chips. Semiconductor chips. And they are mighty: theyRead More »The two companies driving the modern economy

We wade into the heated debate over immigrants’ impact on the labor market. When the number of workers in a city increases, does that takeRead More »Do immigrants really take jobs and lower wages?

When the vape brand Juul first hit the market back in 2015, e-cigarettes were in a kind of regulatory limbo. At the time, the rulesRead More »The Vapes of Wrath

We’ve lived amongst Elon Musk headlines for so long now that it’s easy to forget just how much he sounds like a sci-fi character. HeRead More »Why is everyone talking about Musk's money?

There’s a behind the scenes industry that helps big brands decide questions like: How big should a bag of chips be? What’s the right sizeRead More »What's with all the tiny soda cans? And other grocery store mysteries, solved.

Graphite is sort of the one-hit wonder of minerals. And that hit? Pencils. Everyone loves to talk about pencils when it comes to graphite. IfRead More »Bringing a tariff to a graphite fight

Most economic textbooks will tell you that there can be real dangers in running up a big national debt. A major concern is how theRead More »How much national debt is too much?

For thousands of years, getting light was a huge hassle. You had to make candles from scratch. This is not as romantic as it sounds.Read More »The history of light (classic)