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Total number of posts: 23671
Adam Smith’s underappreciated wisdom on benevolence, happiness, and kindness
Brain Pickings remains free (and ad-free) and takes me hundreds of hours a month to research and write, and thousands of dollars to sustain. If you find any joy and value in what I do, please consider becoming a Member and supporting with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup Read More...
Meditation and yoga make you less likely to need a doctor
A new study has found that relaxation techniques dramatically decreases the need for healthcare visits and interventions, which is a good reason to pull out the old yoga mat. Healthcare practitioners have known for a long time that using relaxation techniques can improve health, but it’s hard Read More...
7 things science says about how you can grow smarter
I like to think I'm a pretty smart guy--but we all do stupid things sometimes. For example, I graduated near the top of my law school class, but I sometimes question how smart it was to go to law school in the first place. And, I'm reminded of the hour or so I spent not long ago searching for my Read More...
5 things you can do tonight to reverse the U.S. food crisis
The United States of America has national policies on space, on climate change and on many other issues that affect our lives. Yet, there is no public policy on a federal level regarding food waste or food consumption (other than a flimsy food pyramid that has been redesigned many times, to its Read More...
This women's collective is using agroecology to fight India's green revolution
For the women farmers of Tamil Nadu life has long been a struggle, all the more so following the advent of 'Green Revolution' industrial agriculture. So now women's collectives are organizing to restore traditional foods and farming methods, resulting in lower costs, higher yields, improved Read More...
What are the health benefits of renewable energy choices?
This video breaks down the science behind our paper on the health benefits of a low carbon energy policy, and explores how renewable energy is good for our health. Generating electricity from low-carbon energy sources and cutting energy demand reduces the need for fossil fuel power generation, Read More...
World Bank-backed Project To Study Wind Energy Potential In African Countries
A global program backed by the World Bank aimed at studying and determining renewable energy potential across the world will now focus on three African countries. Under the Energy Sector Management Assessment Program (ESMAP), DNV GL is working to determine wind energy potential in Zambia, Tanzania, Read More...
Toyota bets the future car will be fuelled by hydrogen
Toyota showed off a special version of its new Mirai saloon this week to celebrate Back to the Future day. The Japanese carmaker’s take on the time-travelling DeLorean from the popular movie series has the trademark gull-wing doors and the same, bare-metal bodywork seen in the Hollywood film. Read More...
AmEx just made its first bitcoin investment
Credit card companies and banks are getting serious—or at least more curious—about the potential of bitcoin, making an increasing number of investments in startups involved with the digital currency. American Express late last week confirmed it participated in a $12 million Series A Read More...
Oil industry reports massive job losses, and renewables see record job hiring
While the oil and gas industry is experiencing the biggest round of job losses in almost 20 years, renewables account for a record job hiring. Employment in solar, wind and hydro energy jumped 18 percent last year to 7.7 million jobs globally, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. Read More...