Stein Emil Vollset, the study’s lead author and Professor of Global Health at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), elaborated on the findings.
“The last time that global population declined was in the mid 14th century, due to the Black Plague,” he told IFLScience. “If our forecast is correct, it will be the first time population decline is driven by fertility decline, as opposed to events such as a pandemic or famine.”
Some countries, however, are forecasted to see an increase in population.
With China aggressively expanding in various fields like artificial intelligence, 5G networking, semiconductors, and more, it appears that the nation will be overtaking the US in 21st century technologies within just a decade.
The news arrives from a recent report from Harvard, which is titled “The Great Rivalry: China vs the US in the 21st Century” that was published by the Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The report adds that “China’s rapid rise to challenge US dominance of technology’s commanding heights has captured America’s attention.” It further adds that in some areas China “has already become No 1. In others, on current trajectories, it will overtake the US within the next decade.”
Globally, it’s estimated that we mine as much as 50 billion metric tonnes of sand every year to build our roads, bridges, skyscrapers, homes and more. Rapid urbanization around the world has made sand a high value commodity, so much so that, for some, it’s even worth killing for. But not all sand is the same, and experts say some mining operations are damaging ecosystems, infrastructure and putting people in danger around the world.
0:00 Intro. 1:06 How the world uses sand. 3:46 Inside the growing demand for sand. 6:08 How the world mines sand. 7:33 A look at the environmental effects of sand mining. 9:20 Explaining sand mafias and cartels. 11:14 Exploring alternative building materials. 13:04 The future of sand and concrete.
Researchers have refined a molecule that shows promise for the prevention of Parkinson’s disease.… See more.
Summary: Researchers have refined a molecule that shows promise for the prevention of Parkinson’s disease.
Source: University of Bath
A molecule that shows promise in preventing Parkinson’s disease has been refined by scientists at the University of Bath in the UK, and has the potential to be developed into a drug to treat the deadly neurodegenerative disease.
Technicians plan to conduct deck-handling testing of the MQ-25 Stingray on the aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush (CVN 77) while the ship is underway in December. (Michael Fabey)
Technicians aboard the aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush (CVN 77) were preparing equipment for at-sea deck-handling testing of the Boeing MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on 7 December, according to a media briefing provided that day in the ship’s hangar bay.
Summary: Researchers implicate neurons in the anterior insula cortex as a driving force for motivation in the brain, according to a new mouse study.
Source: CSHL
A characteristic of depression is a lack of motivation. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor Bo Li, in collaboration with CSHL Adjunct Professor Z. Josh Huang, discovered a group of neurons in the mouse brain that influences the animal’s motivation to perform tasks for rewards.
Cooled to almost absolute zero, atoms not only move in waves like light but also can be focused into shapes called caustics, similar to the reflecting or refracting patterns light makes on the bottom of a swimming pool or through a curved wine glass.
In experiments at Washington State University, scientists have developed a technique to see these matter wave caustics by placing attractive or repulsive obstacles in the path of a cold atom laser. The results are curving cusps or folds, upward or downward “V” shapes, which the researchers describe in a paper for Nature Communications.
While it is foundational research, these caustics have potential applications for highly precise measurement or timing devices such as interferometers and atomic clocks.
Experimental compound, which has received orphan drug and pediatric rare disease designations from the FDA, displays effectiveness in treating symptoms of Autism and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers developed a novel model to assess the effect of this experimental drug on symptoms related to au.
