Somalia has a new remarkably young and diverse parliament
For years, Somalia, plagued by ethnic strife, was the odd—and sad—example of a country that somehow operated without a government. Now the country has a Somali-Norwegian prime minister who is a former humanitarian worker and oil executive and a parliament filled with entrepreneurs, media Read More...
Solar installations in US increased 95 percent last year
This graph nicely shows the exponential trajectory that the growth of solar power has reached. Prices keep falling, and we may expect solar installations to further Read More...
In the (near) future you are going to share your car—here’s how
Purely from a transportation perspective, owning a self-driving car may make less sense. The car can—and should—drive as much as possible and can still be available anytime you need it. However, currently, we experience our cars also as a part of our personal lives that you may not want to Read More...
How your brain heals when you give up sugar
Sugar is the new tobacco. It is addictive, and it has many detrimental health effects. Withdrawing from sugar leads to symptoms that resemble kicking drugs. But the rewards are similar too as the brain heals from the sweet addiction. Read on to learn what you may expect from changing your sugar Read More...
Pope goes electric
Pope Francis has been very outspoken about the dangers of global warming, the importance of environmental stewardship, and the corruption of greed — with what seemed like a particular focus on Donald Trump and the USA last year. Pope Francis seems to be a man of action — living by your Read More...
Acupuncture can ease wrist pain of carpal tunnel syndrome
Acupuncture can relieve wrist pain, and researchers have tracked the brain and nervous system changes that may help explain why. Scientists randomized 80 people with mild or moderate carpal tunnel syndrome — pain caused by nerve compression at the wrist — to one of three groups. The Read More...
Probiotic could help alleviate hay fever symptoms
Researchers suggest that a probiotic might help to ease symptoms of hay fever. Researchers found that a probiotic consisting of both Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria helped to alleviate hay fever symptoms and improved quality of life during allergy season. First study author Jennifer Dennis, of the Read More...
'You weren’t scared?': Nissan takes us for a ride in the Leaf driverless car
A self-driving car has had its first trials on major London roads, proving the technology works – or it does with an attentive driver behind the wheel to slam on the brakes. Guided by five radars, four lasers and 12 cameras, a converted electric Nissan Leaf has been following a carefully mapped Read More...
How blockchain applications will move beyond finance
To understand the transformation that’s being brought about by blockchain technology, it’s useful to start with its largest implementation to date: bitcoin. In the fall of 2014 my colleague Catherine Tucker and I conducted a large-scale experiment at MIT, in which 4,494 undergraduate Read More...
Deaths from natural disasters in Africa are plummeting thanks to mobile phones
In Africa, the mobile phone has become a vital tool for insurance, health, education, and banking products that allows users to conveniently pay for goods and services. One relatively unknown benefit of the proliferation of phones, however, has been a reduction in deaths from natural disasters. Read More...