Why overeating is an ecological nightmare

A new research article states that the obesity epidemic is affecting more than just waistlines.

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  • While the cost of food waste is high, the environmental impact of obesity is even higher.
  • According to researchers in Italy, obesity results in an extra 140 billion tons of food consumption every year.
  • Obesity costs Americans $1.72 trillion in healthcare costs and is now the leading cause of death.
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Don't romanticize the gig economy: Freelancers often work more, new study finds.

The question is, how can we make employment fair for everyone?

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  • A new study from Russia's Higher School of Economics details the many disadvantages of freelancing.
  • Problems with the gig economy include longer working hours, working on weekends and holidays, and no employee benefits.
  • New legislation in California is attempting to address these issues, but may harm more than it helps.
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Obesity is the leading cause of death in America. When will we talk about it?

Bill Maher called for fat shaming last week. His argument makes sense.

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  • As the NY Times reports, obesity is the leading cause of death in America, costing the health care system $1.72 trillion.
  • Bill Maher called for fat shaming as a means of transforming the lethargic mindset about obesity.
  • When implemented properly, shame can be an important and powerful tool, writes NYU professor Jennifer Jacquet.
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New blood test accurately predicts when people will die — within 5–10 years

The large-scale study got it right for 83 percent of participants. Would you take the blood test?

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  • A research team found 14 biomarkers can accurately predict death within 5–10 years.
  • Such a test could help doctors and researchers prescribe better courses of treatments for patients.
  • Information about mortality might inspire people to eat better and exercise more, thus reversing the effects of some biomarkers.
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Have we reached a humane alternative to the war on drugs?

Can treating addiction as a disease work better than treating it as a vice?

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  • The War on Drugs has taken fifty years of America's time, and an unfathomable amount of our blood and treasure.
  • A new method for dealing with drug abuse, treating it as a disease rather than a moral failure, is being tried.
  • Studies suggest this is a better way to deal with the problem, and programs using this view are seeing success.
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