“The Dutch government has revolutionized sea water management for hundreds of years from the first implemented dike to the massive windmill pumps, and then to the current immense dams that keep the sea at bay. Even to this day, the […]
“When the pandemic freed employees from having to report to the office, some saw an opportunity to double their salary on the sly. Why be good at one job, they thought, when they could be mediocre at two?” | learn more
“The colored bands show the relative fraction of Bitcoin in existence that was last transacted within the time window indicated in the legend.” | learn more
From Bill Gates: “In 1950, the world made roughly as much steel as cement (a key ingredient in concrete); by 2010, steel production had grown by a factor of 8, but cement had gone up by a factor of 25.” | learn […]
“Infrastructure spending is broadly popular, which is likely why this new “infrastructure” bill has a decent amount of bi-partisan support. This is also why so many projects that have nothing to do with infrastructure are framed in such dishonest terms.” | learn […]
“Many of our country’s problems are reducible, in one way or another, to the fact that we have lost the imperative to transform the physical world.” | learn more
This is less than half of what many headlines claim. From Our World in Data: “It is often claimed that smallholder farmers produce 70% or even 80% of the world’s food. This claim has even been made by the United […]
“When a tuna marketing executive took a bite of the dehydrated tomato seasoned with olive oil, algae extract, spices, and soy sauce early last year, he was shook. “This is going to be a problem for us,” he said.” | learn more
“Long the stuff of science fiction and philosophical musing, cellular agriculture is fast becoming a reality.” | learn more
“Concrete may not seem like a particularly hospitable environment for life, but bacteria do actually live inside it. A new study led by the University of Delaware has examined this concrete microbiome to find out how they get there, how […]