Easily Distracted? You Need to Think Like a Medieval Monk
Medieval monks were, in many ways, the original LinkedIn power users. Earnest and with a knack for self-promotion, they loved to read and share inspiring stories of other early Christians…
This Seriously Hipster Bean Is Coffee’s Best Hope for Survival
But in the right hands, liberica can be a revelation. In 2016 Davis visited some coffee farmers in Uganda and tried a brew of their local beans. The taste surprised…
Climate Enforcers Need Hard Evidence. Friederike Otto Has It
But attribution science can do a lot more than tell us how climate change influences the weather. Otto wants to use her attribution reports to hold polluters to account for…
You Don’t Need to Fear a World of Eight Billion Humans
On November 15, the 8 billionth person on the planet was born. Well, more or less. That was the date selected by United Nations demographers as the moment the world crossed…
Vertical Farming Has Found Its Fatal Flaw
In June, a vast new vertical farm opened on the outskirts of the English town Bedford. At a swanky opening event, members of the UK Parliament heard that the gleaming facility…
Vertical Farming Needs to Grow More Than Salad
If you’ve watched The Martian you know how difficult it is to grow food on Mars. Almost nothing about the Red Planet makes it a hospitable place for agriculture. Even…
A Lab-Grown Meat Startup Gets the FDA’s Stamp of Approval
Cultivated meat has been approved for sale in the United States for the first time. The decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) means that a company called Upside…
Europe’s Cities Are Getting More Crowded—That’s a Good Thing
Cities are unpredictable places. Not just in the hustle and bustle of dusty street corners, but across the sweep of time itself. Take Leipzig for example. Once the fifth largest…
Europeans Are Burning Trees to Keep Warm
In the past few decades, the European Union has transformed its energy system. In 2005 about 10 percent of all energy consumed in the EU came from renewable sources. Last…
Worried About Nuclear War? Consider the Micromorts
Putting a percentage on the likelihood of a nuclear disaster can feel icky—like you’re boiling down the immensity of human suffering into a spreadsheet. “I think what people dislike about…
Elon Musk Is Totally Wrong About Population Collapse
Early 20th-century France faced an existential threat: Its citizens weren’t having enough babies. In 1900, the average French woman gave birth to three children throughout her lifetime while over the…
The World Has Reached Peak Attenborough
If there is anyone who attracts near-ubiquitous admiration in the United Kingdom, it’s David Attenborough. The naturalist has had a hold on our eyes and ears with a remarkable stream…
Europe’s Drought Might Force Acceptance of Gene-Edited Crops
There are some big caveats, however. Firstly, even if the European Commission does get its way, new regulations will apply only to gene-edited crops and not the kind of GMOs…
Europe’s Plan to Wean Itself off Russian Gas Just Might Work
In 1970, West German politicians and gas executives signed a landmark deal with the Soviet Union that would shape the next half-century of European energy policy. West Germany promised to…
The Future Could Be Blissful—If Humans Don’t Go Extinct First
Or we might want to have strong regulation around which AI systems are deployed, such that you can only use it if you really understand what’s going on under the…
Plant-Based Burgers Aren’t Denting People’s Beef Addiction
Another way to figure out the impact plant-based meats are having is to look at how price changes impact the demand for various kinds of meat. A study of retail…
Embryonic Research Could Be the Next Target After ‘Roe’
Two weeks after the US Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion, Ye Yuan heard from a woman who wanted to reverse her decision to donate her embryos…