3 most frightening stories
- Coral reefs are in pretty sad shape, perhaps the first natural ecosystem type to be devastated beyond repair by climate change.
- Echoes of the Cold War are rearing their ugly heads in Western Europe.
- Trump may very well have organized crime links. And Moody’s says that if he gets elected and manages to do the things he says, it could crash the economy.
3 most hopeful stories
- China has a new(ish) sustainability plan called “ecological civilization” that weaves together urban and regional planning, environmental quality, sustainable agriculture, habitat and biodiversity concepts. This is good because a rapidly developing country the size of China has the ability to sink the rest of civilization if they let their ecological footprint explode, regardless of what the rest of us do. Maybe they can set a good example for the rest of the developing world to follow.
- Genetic technology is appearing to provide some hope of real breakthroughs in cancer treatment.
- There is still some hope for a technology-driven pick-up in productivity growth.
3 most interesting stories
- FiveThirtyEight had an interesting article on Moore, Oklahoma and the statistics of killer tornadoes.
- Switzerland finished an enormous tunnel through the Alps that took 20 years to build.
- It’s possible to model an economy or other complex systems using a hydraulic system of pipes, pumps, and fluids. Along similar lines, it is now possible to engineer living systems to perform desired functions using “genetic circuits“.