I first encountered the concept of “sludge” while listening to 'Freakonomics Radio.' Stephen Dubner and his guests were describing something every American has felt but rarely had a precise name for: the unnecessary friction that turns simple tasks into exhausting slogs. Behavioral economist Richard Thaler (Nobel laureate and co-author of Nudge) coined the term. A nudge is choice architecture that makes desirable actions easier such as defaults that enroll people in retireme

UK consumer confidence rose unexpectedly in August, climbing three points to –14 on the GfK index. That is the strongest reading since August 2024 and runs counter to economists’ expectations of a further decline. The improvement was driven by brighter views of the economy over the next 12 months and greater willingness to make major purchases. Good weather and a continued “Burnham bounce” following the arrival of the new prime minister helped sustain the lift that began in J

Scientists at Stanford have used generative AI to design and build functional viruses that do not exist in nature. Their model, Evo 2, produced 16 synthetic bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria. When tested in a secure lab, several of these AI-designed phages killed E. coli more effectively than the original. The work, published in Science, is being described as biology’s “Wright Brothers moment.” The immediate practical promise lies in phage therapy. Antibiotic resis