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 […]
Covid-19 isn’t the theme of this story, but it is one interesting observation. “Genetic scientists from the University of California Santa Cruz have learned that just 7%—or less—of our DNA is unique to the human species, with the remainder of […]
“The hardworking ones are precisely four times faster than the lazy ones. The hardworking enzymes are built with valine, the lazy enzymes with methionine.” | learn more
Don’t let the big words scare you off. This is an insightful analysis of the FDA’s recent approval of a new Alzheimers drug from Scott Alexander. Conclusion: unbundle the FDA! | learn more