Miscellaneous
Latin America leads the world in reducing hunger
In the matter of hunger, as with any protracted issue, we choose to focus on encouraging developments with the hope that useful lessons can be learned from what works. According to The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 report, released last week by the FAO, Latin America has met the target Read More...
The scourge of hunger is shrinking, says United Nations
Hunger is affecting 20 percent fewer people today than it did 25 years ago. When taking population growth into account, the numbers are even more staggering. Asia and Latin America mostly account for the good news. Data shows that the situation has worsened in Africa where “extreme weather Read More...
Light-powered spacecrafts now a possibility thanks to graphene
The new innovation field opened by the unique properties of the “miracle material” keeps generating new ideas. Of note, this research-based theory by a team of Chinese scientists that graphene sponge could be used to make a light-powered propulsion system for spacecraft that would beat solar Read More...
Solar Sister empowers women in Africa to sell clean, solar technologies
Distributing solar-powered lights and phone chargers where they are needed the most, while giving low-income women the opportunity to earn supplementary income—such is the vision behind Solar Sister, a social enterprise with a presence in Tanzania, Uganda and Nigeria. With 1,500 women involved in Read More...
Why China needs to support its waste pickers
Trash is an unintended consequence of China’s economic boom, urban swell and growing middle-class. Cities’ landfills are running out of space, and waste management policies have been lagging. Essentially, the whole system has been dependent upon hundreds of thousands of individuals who have Read More...
Brits and Turks happiest Europeans before recession, according to map on Internet
Here is a map to ponder. Its origins are unclear, and the data is, well, dated (2008.) Nevertheless, it offers a fascinating window into a reality that seemingly goes against many preconceived ideas. Who would have thought that the French are the not grumpiest Europeans around, that Italians and Read More...
Graphene-based supercapacitors point to breakthrough for electric cars
Better batteries are seemingly the only missing link between today’s fossil-fuel intensive transportation and the expected advent of the electric car. Batteries need to be cheaper, quickly rechargeable, provide better range, while demonstrating a sustainable lifecycle. A supercapacitor developed Read More...
How architects mitigate the Ecological Footprint of a growing population
It is a well-established fact that mankind consumes more than 1.5 as much renewable natural resources as the planet can generate. In fact, if everyone lived like the average American, we would need the equivalent of five planets. With already more than half of the world’s population living in Read More...
26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation
I know meditation is meant to be good for you but I don’t meditate every day. I go through cycles of meditating 20 minutes a day and then slowly ‘forget’ and slide into not meditating until I feel I need to — until I feel like crap. For the last 30 Read More...
Can compassion be trained like a muscle? Behavioral and neural evidence for the cultivation of compassion
Helen Weng, Andrew Fox, Alexander Shackman, Diane Stodola, Jessica Caldwell, Matthew Olson, Gregory Rogers, and Richard J. Davidson, University of Wisconsin-Madison Read More...