What’s smaller than your fingernail and runs the world? Well, “bacteria” is probably the best answer to that question, or — arguably, these days — the coronavirus.

A few years ago a responsible quizmaster might also have been forced to accept “Trump’s moral conscience” or “a Brexiteer’s understanding of the EU” as technically correct answers. So, let’s try again with firmer parameters: what’s smaller than your fingernail, runs the world, and is now in short supply, threatening the stability of the global economy as a result?..

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