Category: Society

Pollution from burning fossil fuels killed 1 in 5 of all the people that died in 2018.
By region, in the US and Europe it was 1 in 10 people, in eastern Asia 1 in 3, and it was the lowest in Africa and Southern America.
These numbers are larger than the death toll of smoking tobacco and malaria combined.
Air pollution is an invisible killer, but study authors were still shocked at how big this problem is.
Experts see this is a call to urgency, and suggest that the process of going carbon-neutral should be sped up.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on February 12, 2021

Researchers analyzed 250 US public corporations involved in securities fraud between 2005-2013, and compared them to a uninvolved sample.
The analysis showed that prestigious, big name companies are more likely to commit financial fraud, manipulate number and markets, lie to investors and the SEC.
Companies with Fortune 500 status were 4 times more likely to be involved in fraud compared to the no-fraud sample.
[Personal note - it’s good that scientists are uncovering basic facts that every 1st-grader knows, heh heh]

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on February 5, 2021

psypost.org

Psilocybin, found in magic mushrooms, is considered by people to be less dangerous than alcohol, tobacco, and other substances.
However, the group was recruited among followers of drug-use related websites and social media pages, so it’s not representative of all people.
Those who have used magic mushrooms reported it to be the least dangerous substance compared to prescription painkillers, tobacco, alcohol, cocaine and more.
But the laws show a completely different picture, with psilocybin generally classified as a harmful drug.
New studies show therapeutic benefits, and decriminalization slowly spreads to different countries, lawmakers should realize that psilocybin can be beneficial.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on January 22, 2021

Behavioral economics study of 900 people, 98% college students and 59% female.
Participants were given tasks to do for money, and then were introduced into different scenarios with universal basic income, and automation taking away some tasks.
Having Spanish college students in the study is a great indicator of real-life applicability, because almost half of Spaniards under 25 are unemployed.
There’s very little research into how universal basic income and automation will affect the workforce, and this is just one of many necessary studies into this topic.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on January 22, 2021

Study shows that Uber and Lyft drivers ramped up a lot of dead-head (no-passenger) miles between 2014 and 2020.
Because of this, they contributed to a large increase in vehicle miles travelled (VMT) - it was at least doubled compared to past data in several major US cities.
These results can be used to inform policy-makers about prioritizing shared modes of public transportation, as well as walking and biking.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on January 22, 2021

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