WELCOME TO MATT RIDLEY'S BLOG

Provided we learn the lessons of the first wave we will have little to fear as we reopen our economy My article for the Telegraph: It is now three weeks since thousands of protesters first gathered in Trafalgar Square, and two weeks since London filled with even larger crowds, few of whom wore masks or […]

My article for the Inside Sources network: It will be an innovation that eventually defeats the virus: a new vaccine, a new antiviral drug — or a new app to help us avoid contact with infected individuals. So the one thing the world needs more than anything else is an incentive to innovate. Here’s an […]

My article for The Times: The agriculture bill before the House of Lords today offers a chance for plant breeders to make safer, more productive crops that need fewer chemicals. Britain has a long track record of safe and efficient plant breeding but the industry is unable to use the latest techniques because of a […]

Answering Questions About Innovation, Coronavirus, and More In a few minutes, I will be returning to The Yaron Brook Show for another interview. A lot has happened in the 2.5 months since my last visit, so I am sure we will have a lot to discuss. We will be discussing not just innovation and the […]

A strange obsession with mathematical modelling has compromised the country’s covid response My article for The Telegraph: The scientific establishment in this country has had a bad war. Its mistakes have probably made the Covid-19 epidemic, as well as the economic downturn, worse. Britain entered the pandemic late, with lots of warning, so we should […]

From lethal pandemic to common cold: what we can learn from the events of 1889-90 My article for Spectator: The killer came from the east in winter: fever, cough, sore throat, aching muscles, headache and sometimes death. It spread quickly to all parts of the globe, from city to city, using new transport networks. In […]

Update on Reviews, Events, and More I have taken a break from media appearances since Thursday—I needed a rest, and I’d say I like birds even more than innovation—but it was a wonderful first two weeks for me and for the book, thanks to you. Here’s an update on the launch, and what’s planned for […]

Research into the origins of the new coronavirus raises questions about how it became so infectious in human beings My article for the Wall Street Journal: New research has deepened, rather than dispelled, the mystery surrounding the origin of the coronavirus responsible for Covid-19. Bats, wildlife markets, possibly pangolins and perhaps laboratories may all have […]

The solution to the current crises is more innovation, not less. My blog post for Human Progress: When you think about it, what has happened to human society in the last 300 years is pretty weird. After trundling along with horses and sailboats, slaves and swords, for millennia, we suddenly got steam engines and search […]

Order the Hardcover, Kindle, or Audiobook Now I am delighted to be launching my new book How Innovation Works this week, which has officially arrived in the United States and Canada. If you want to read it now, you can get the Kindle or audiobook (read by myself!) instantly. But hardcover orders are even better! […]