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Business & Economics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-May-2026 03:15 ET (30-May-2026 07:15 GMT/UTC)

UT launches Knoxville Quantum Accelerator to advance Tennessee’s future

University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Business Announcement

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is launching the Knoxville Quantum Accelerator, also known as K-Quantum, to advance the region’s position as a leader in quantum technologies and systems. Unlike the digital computing systems we rely on today, quantum systems use elements of quantum mechanics — the complex behavior of atoms and subatomic particles — to process vast amounts of information quickly and in new ways. Leveraging those properties enables breakthroughs in applications ranging from drug discovery and advanced manufacturing to cryptography and optimization.

Fast deliveries worsen conditions for e-commerce warehouse workers

Cornell University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Consumers’ around-the-clock, often impulsive demand for cheap, rapidly delivered products creates harsher working conditions in e-commerce fulfillment centers than in traditional warehouses, according to Cornell University-led research that provides the first comprehensive assessment of e-commerce work in the U.S.

Journal: ILR Review

Transition to electric vehicles in Brazil and Mexico driven by domestic politics and global pressures, study shows

University of Exeter
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Transition to electric vehicles in Brazil and Mexico has been driven by domestic politics and global pressures, a new study says.

Journal: Politics and Governance

New report offers solutions for the disparity between how mutual funds and ETFs are taxed

Brookings Institution
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The U.S. tax code treats mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) very differently. As a result, investors often pay significantly more taxes on mutual funds than on ETFs. A new Brookings Institution report argues that this disparity is unfair, and examines strategies to level the playing field.

Free contraception policy sharply reduces patient costs in B.C., especially for young adults

University of British Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that B.C.’s decision to provide universal, no-cost prescription contraception sharply reduced what patients pay, with the largest financial gains for people in their 20s. Before the policy, the pill averaged about $25 per month, while IUDs ranged from $75 to more than $500 up front—and for long-term pill users, lifetime costs could reach $10,000. Two years after the policy change, patient spending was 83 per cent lower than expected, translating to average savings of $43 per contraceptive user per year.

Journal: JAMA Health Forum

When ‘sloppy’ decisions are actually smart

Universiteit van Amsterdam
Peer-Reviewed Publication

From a young age most people are told to be rational: weigh costs and benefits, pick the option that pays off best. But a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by Marta C. Couto, Fernando P. Santos (Socially Intelligent Artificial Systems group at the University of Amsterdam), and Christian Hilbe at the Interdisciplinary Transformation University in Linz suggests that in social situations, people who are a bit less precise – a bit more ‘noisy’ – can sometimes come out ahead.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

JMIR Analysis: Consumer Wearables Emerge as the New Health Care Gatekeepers

JMIR Publications
Reports and Proceedings

JMIR Publications released a News and Perspectives expert analysis on consumer wearable platforms’ forays into the clinical health care space.

Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research

Insilico Medicine to showcase AI-driven innovation at BIO 2026 International Convention

InSilico Medicine
Meeting Announcement

Insilico Medicine will present its latest advances in generative AI-driven drug discovery, quantum-enabled research, and clinical development at the BIO 2026 International Convention in San Diego. The company will participate in three featured speaking sessions covering China’s impact on biotech business development, quantum computing in drug discovery, and strategies for building smarter pipelines for challenging targets. Insilico will also showcase its Pharma.AI platform, LifeStar 2 laboratory, and MMAI Gym for Science while meeting with biopharma partners, investors, and researchers at Booth #4021.

Insilico highlighted progress across its growing pipeline, including Rentosertib, the world’s first AI-discovered anti-fibrotic candidate with a novel mechanism of action, which has completed a Phase 2a proof-of-concept trial. The company also shared updates on ISM5411 for inflammatory bowel disease and multiple oncology programs that have reached first-in-patient dosing. Since its founding in 2014, Insilico has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and was recently recognized among the top global corporate research institutions in Nature Index rankings.

Citizens as political actors, not individual consumers: new study calls for tighter advertising regulations

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Commercial marketing oriented toward sustainability is not compatible with degrowth, even when it promotes consuming less. That is the conclusion of a study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Spain, and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Journal: PLOS Sustainability and Transformation

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