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Esther Ngumbi

Esther Ngumbi

7 commentaries
1 videos & podcasts

Esther Ngumbi is Assistant Professor of Entomology and African-American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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  1. More Floods Mean Worse Soil
    ngumbi7_ WILL VASSILOPOULOSAFP via Getty Images_flood WILL VASSILOPOULOS/AFP via Getty Images

    More Floods Mean Worse Soil

    Oct 26, 2023 Esther Ngumbi shows how extreme wet conditions can damage the symbiotic ecosystem that underpins our food system.

  2. Tackling America’s Racial Disparities in Science
    ngumbi6_Misha FriedmanGetty Images_woman in STEM Misha Friedman/Getty Images

    Tackling America’s Racial Disparities in Science

    Jan 29, 2021 Esther Ngumbi proposes four ways to increase the representation of women and people of color in STEM fields.

  3. Is the Rebellion Against Science Over?
    ngumbi5_GettyImages_pencefauci Getty Images

    Is the Rebellion Against Science Over?

    Oct 6, 2020 Esther Ngumbi reflects on how science, its public standing, and its role in policymaking have fared during the pandemic.

  4. A Pandemic of Hunger
    ngumbi4_LUIS TATOAFP via Getty Images_coronaviruskenyafoodaid Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images

    A Pandemic of Hunger

    May 12, 2020 Esther Ngumbi warns that the COVID-19 crisis is aggravating food insecurity in developing and developed countries alike.

  5. Putting a Price on Soil
    ngumbi3_FLORENT VERGNESAFP via Getty Images_soilafricafarm Florent Vergnes/AFP via Getty Images

    Putting a Price on Soil

    Jan 3, 2020 Esther Ngumbi asks what we need to do to get more people to care about such a strategic asset as soils.

  1. velasco156_Alex WroblewskiGettyImages_dnc_harris_buttons Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images
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    How Liberals Lost America

    Andrés Velasco attributes Donald Trump’s return to power to Democrats’ embrace of both moral neutrality and moral preachiness.
  2. halland10_TERJE PEDERSENNTBAFP via Getty Images_norwayukraineaid Terje Pedersenntb/AFP via Getty Images
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    Norway Should Cede Its War Windfall to Ukraine

    Håvard Halland & Knut Anton Mork say that the government's justifications for its war profiteering are disingenuous and short-sighted.
  3. bhide11_Anthony KwanGettyImages_deepseek Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
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    Is DeepSeek Really a Threat?

    Amar Bhidé

    If vindicated, DeepSeek’s technology could be to large language models what Nikola Tesla’s breakthroughs with alternating current were to electrification. While it cannot overcome the unavoidable limitations of backward-looking statistical models, it could make their price performance good enough for wider use.

     explains what a purported Chinese AI breakthrough does and does not mean for the industry.
  4. spence180_Picture AllianceGettyImages_germany_annual_economic_report Picture Alliance/Getty Images
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    What’s Wrong With Germany’s Economy?

    Michael Spence

    Germany became a European powerhouse partly because, in the early 2000s, its industrial sectors took over the highest-valued-added segments of global supply chains. Replicating this success today would require Germany to move to the forefront of the digital transformation, and it cannot do that without the EU.

     thinks the country’s prospects depend significantly on closing the digital-technology gap with the US and China.
  5. hausmann119_Christine OlssonGettyImages_northvolt_bankruptcy Christine Olsson/Getty Images
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    When Companies Fail to Learn, They Learn to Fail

    Ricardo Hausmann explains how the inability to identify and address knowledge gaps can doom even the most promising projects.
  6. berahab1_LUDOVIC MARINAFP via Getty Images_gabonforest Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
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    How to Make Carbon Pricing Work for Africa

    Rim Berahab & Otaviano Canuto argue that policies must be structured to facilitate, not obstruct, the continent’s shift to renewables.
  7. jma6_NurPhotoGettyImages_china_evs_trade NurPhoto/Getty Images
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    Green Free Trade in a Protectionist Age

    Ma Jun envisions regional arrangements that facilitate the exchange of climate-friendly goods and services.
  8. mazarei1_Sayed HassanGetty Images_suezcanal Sayed Hassan/Getty Images
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    Egypt’s Economic Crisis May Not Be Over

    Adnan Mazarei urges the international community to push for long-overdue governance and economic reforms.
  9. iyer2_SIA KAMBOUAFP via Getty Images_malariavaccine Sia Kambou/AFP via Getty Images
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    Climate Displacement Is Also a Health Crisis

    Jayasree K. Iyer proposes a four-pronged strategy to ensure that essential medicines reach vulnerable populations.

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