Current Events
Mental health searches on Google reached all-time high in 2021
Mental health, healing and pulling together were key themes of 2021, according to the world’s most popular search engine. Google processes billions of requests every day and its Year in Search […]
The strange history of alcohol at Christmas
For consumers of festive beverages, the news is bad: this holiday season, Guinness may not be on tap and glass for bottling wine is scarce. Climate disasters, like British Columbia’s floods, have further weakened already […]
These are the world’s cheapest and most expensive cities
Israel’s buoyant currency, coupled with increased costs for transport and groceries, saw Tel Aviv jump five places from last year.
Shrooms for COVID: Frontline healthcare workers to receive psilocybin therapy
A small, Seattle-based study will look to see if the psychedelic can alleviate the pandemic’s mental health impact.
Why is life expectancy in the U.S. lower than in other rich countries?
Americans have a lower life expectancy than people in other rich countries despite paying much more for healthcare. We explore the number of factors which might explain this difference.
Why is inflation so high? Is it bad? An economist answers 3 questions about soaring consumer prices
In the most extreme cases, spiraling prices can lead to a collapse in a currency’s value.
En-ROADS: A powerful, interactive climate model for predicting temperature rise
Driving Teslas and planting trees are nice, but methane reduction, industrial efficiency, carbon removal, and a moderate carbon tax are the most efficient ways to fight climate change.
There never was a “population bomb”
Society incorrectly blamed a "population bomb” for problems that had other causes. A wrong diagnosis produces ineffective solutions.
How vulnerable is your personal information? 4 essential reads
“Think defensively about how you can protect yourself from an almost inevitable attack, rather than assuming you’ll avoid harm.”
Passing the Turing Test: AI creates human-like text
GPT-3, which features 175 billion parameters, just might fool you in a conversation.
Is watching believing?
In spreading politics, videos may not be much more persuasive than their text-based counterparts.
When science mixes with politics, all we get is politics
“To be ignorant of causes is to be frustrated in action.” So wrote Francis Bacon, counsel to Queen Elizabeth I of England and key architect of the scientific method. In […]
Should you join the Great Resignation?
Millions of Americans are quitting their jobs, but even if you can’t join the Great Resignation, you can still pursue a do-over moment.
How Mariah Carey stole Christmas
The singer-songwriter distilled the essence of the holidays into a hit song, and for her efforts she was crowned the Queen of Christmas.
Amazon’s “economic flywheel” built Seattle. Can your city build one?
Why does Seattle continue to be a place that nurtures the development of breakthrough technologies but not Minneapolis, Memphis, or Minsk?
Detransitioners: 55% say clinicians didn’t give adequate evaluation before gender transition
The results of a recent study suggest that some clinicians might be failing to explore other causes when treating gender dysphoria.
Irrecoverable carbon: Don’t touch the world’s vital carbon sinks
Most “irrecoverable carbon” is concentrated in these tiny bits of the Earth’s land mass. Can we keep it there?
The case for universal basic income
Universal basic income can secure basic independence for citizens, something which modern states have failed to do, argues author Louise Haagh.
“Woke Racism”: Does modern antiracism operate as a dogmatic religion?
The modern antiracist movement is harming the very people it claims to help, according to the linguist John McWhorter.
The “great resignation” is a trend that began before the pandemic – and bosses need to get used to it
Employees are quitting at record rates – a trend that shows no signs of stopping.
Rhode Island will be the first state to open safe drug consumption sites
The two-year pilot program will be a test of harm reduction strategies.
It’s time for a nuclear renaissance
A report from MIT outlines a six-point plan to usher in a new age of nuclear power.
Daylight saving time: five tips to help you better adjust to the clock change
Daylight saving time was first implemented during the first world war to take advantage of longer daylight hours and save energy. While this made a difference when we heavily relied on coal […]
Why Squid Game is actually a critique of meritocracy
Winner takes all, losers die, and participants have no choice but to play.
The dark side of daylight saving time
These studies are only the tip of the iceberg, with adverse consequence of the time change ranging from student test scores to stock market returns.
“The General Index”: New tool allows you to search 107 million research papers for free
The creator of the index called it a public utility for accessing the “vast ocean” of human knowledge.
What’s a “miracle”? Here’s how the Catholic Church decides
There's more to miracles than turning water into wine.
Why has Halloween become so popular among adults?
Today, alcohol is as important as candy to the Halloween economy.