The Economist explains
Subjects topical and timeless, profound and peculiar, explained with The Economist's trademark clarity and brevity
The Economist explains
What is Boko Haram?
A shadowy group justifies its attacks against the Nigerian state using the language of religious struggle
The Economist explains
How do you invent a language?
Making up a language is both a science and an art
The Economist explains
How do two-factor logins improve security?
A short run of digits can prevent most common login exploits by supplementing a password
The Economist explains
Why does liberal Iceland want to ban online pornography?
The planned ban is a continuation of previous laws to regulate the sex industry
The Economist explains
Why are your friends more popular than you?
Don't worry. It's just basic arithmetic
The Economist explains
How does China censor the internet?
With both the Great Firewall and the Golden Shield
The Economist explains
Why are gene patents controversial?
Not everyone thinks researchers should be able to patent DNA sequences
The Economist explains
How scary are North Korea's nukes?
Quite scary, but not for the reasons you might expect
The Economist explains
Why are so many adults adopted in Japan?
The reason is more mercantile than magnanimous
The Economist explains
What is the Streisand effect?
When trying to hide something makes it more visible