Month: August 2021
Technology in China
For most of human history, China was the world’s most advanced technological power. The blast furnace originated there, and thus so, too, did cast iron. Only in the Middle Ages did Europe begin to match Chinese ingenuity and capacity in these fields, doing so largely through imitation. Only with the growth of European mechanical industries and
Loss of Biodiversity
Human societies depend on healthy ecosystems and the services that ecosystems provide to humanity depend, in turn, on there being a diversity of living things. More than 75% of global food-crop types, including coffee, cocoa and almonds, are pollinated by animals. The complex web underpinning every food chain and ecosystem means that the narrow range of
Fewer Banks
The physical dominance of banks symbolises their importance. Most people interact with their banks for such mundane transactions as buying groceries. Companies pay their workers, suppliers and landlords through banks. Banks are also there for bigger decisions, such as buying a house or getting a student loan. It is hard to conceive of a world without
The future world of work
Yet the belief that something has gone wrong with labour markets has a history of turning out wrong. Since the dawn of capitalism people have lamented the world of work, always believing that the past was better than the present and that the workers of the day were uniquely badly treated. The covid-19 pandemic has
Future of Travel
Luggage unpacks how international travel has changed down the ages for example the suitcase arrived at the end of the 19th century when spending several weeks abroad became more common for the wealthy and now wheelie-bag came to symbolise the era of mass travel. The rise of the wheelie-bag reflects the falling cost and increasing
Apple Child Abuse Detection Tool Privacy Concerns
The tech giant faced questions on whether new technology to limit the spread of child sexual abuse material could be used to invade people’s privacy. Privacy concerns were raised last week when the tech giant announced the move, which is designed to protect young people and limit the spread of child sexual abuse material. Apple
Facebook Accused of climate change misinformation
Facebook has been accused of letting fossil fuel companies spread misinformation through advertising, according to a new analysis by climate change thinktank InfluenceMap.‘Despite Facebook’s public support for climate action, it continues to allow its platform to be used to spread fossil fuel propaganda,’ said Bill Weih. A Facebook representative said that multiple ads had been
Living in Mars Simulation
Nasa has started accepting applications for four people to live for a year in Mars Dune Alpha i.e. a 1,700-square-foot Martian habitat, created by a 3D-printer, and inside a building at Johnson Space Centre in Houston. The paid volunteers will work a simulated Martian exploration mission complete with spacewalks, limited communications back home, restricted food
Headphone use sparking loneliness
People can go more than a month without having a meaningful conversation with someone new because of how long they spent wearing headphones .” With loneliness damaging not only our mental but also our physical health loneliness is as bad for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day – it’s essential that we commit
tasered in the UK
UK Home Office statistics have demonstrated that in 2015 black Britons were three times more likely to experience a police officer drawing or using a taser against them than white Britons. But we also know that crime rates are higher in the black community in the UK, with black people over three times as likely