Newfangled coins and mercenaries may have brought about democracy
In ancient Greece, the old order could not stand against them
In the view of many, money corrupts democracy. In the view of Francis Albarède, however, it was money, in the form of coined silver, which created democracy in the first place.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Piecing it together”

From the March 11th 2023 edition
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Satellites are polluting the stratosphere
And forthcoming mega-constellations will exacerbate the problem
AI models are dreaming up the materials of the future
Better batteries, cleaner bioplastics and more powerful semiconductors await
Mice have been genetically engineered to look like mammoths
They are small and tuskless, but extremely fluffy
Is posh moisturiser worth the money?
Don’t break the bank
How artificial intelligence can make board games better
It can iron out glitches in the rules before they go on the market
The skyrocketing demand for minerals will require new technologies
Flexible drills, distributed power systems and, of course, artificial intelligence