RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY
The Pew Research Center ranked 232 countries and territories based on their religious makeup. Here’s how some placed, from most to least diverse:
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Unauthorized GM crops face intensified oversight
China will further step up the supervision of genetically modified food technologies to prevent commercial cultivation of unauthorized varieties, a senior rural affairs official said. The call follows several suspected cases of farmers illegally growing genetically modified crops in the country. “We need to work to prevent unauthorized varieties from entering markets illegally, starting from the very beginning of the […]
Read moreWhy Canada Won’t Join The US
Joining the U.S. would be a net loss for Canada— even if it made us Canadians richer, said Conrad Black. It’s not that the idea of a merger, currently touted by journalist Diane Francis in her book Merger of the Century, makes me “tremble with patriotic loathing”—after all, I once suggested that joining the U.S. would be preferable for English […]
Read moreDubai 3D Printed Building
Dubai has developed a 3D building that was built in 17 days using a rather large 3D printer that measures 20 feet high, 120 feet long and 40 feet wide. They use a mix of concrete, fiber enforced plastic, and glass fiber gypsum. United Arab Emirates is hoping to have building time cut by 70% and cost by 50% by […]
Read moreHow U.S. debt went out of control
How did the U.S. debt get so high? The crucial turning point came back in 2001, said Lori Montgomery. At the time, Uncle Sam was actually running surpluses, and “the outlook was so rosy” that forecasters were predicting the U.S. could pay back every dime it had ever borrowed. That’s when President George W. Bush made a pivotal decision: Rather […]
Read moreAmazon Settlements Discovered in Rainforest
Researchers have found that deep in the Amazon Rain Forest there lived over a million people in an area of 7% of the basin before the Europeans arrived. Satellite images show that undiscovered glyphs are across the Upper Tapajos Basin in Brazil. The Amazon Settlements are between 500 and 750 years old and were previously thought to be pristine wilderness. […]
Read moreThree Unavoidable Health Hazards
Worrying about everyday problems will shorten your life. A British study found that people who reported feeling even mild anxiety—the sort that distracted them, depleted their self-confidence, or occasionally kept them awake at night were 16 percent more likely to die over a 10-year period than people with no such concerns. About one in four people experiences mild anxiety, but […]
Read moreBlack Hole Discovered
A black hole when found in the center of the Milky Way would appear to be 10 times brighter than our full moon. Scientists estimate that its light would have formed about 12 billion years ago and would have measured about as big as 20 billion suns. The energy that comes from a black hole is mostly ultraviolet light. Astronomers […]
Read moreFracking’s seismic impact
Geologists are warning that fracking may be leading to an increase in seismic activity. A recent advisory from the U.S. Geological Survey warns that activities related to hydraulic fracturing—or fracking, extracting oil and natural gas from subterranean rock formations—has likely contributed to the recent spike in earthquakes in Oklahoma, and experts warn that the chances for a major quake in […]
Read moreThe non-subject of gun violence
What’s the most forbidden topic in America? asked Timothy Egan. It’s not sex or religion. It’s gun violence. We are “the most armed society in the world,” with more than 300 million guns in private hands, and 9,146 gun homicides in 2009—a rate nearly 20 times higher than that of other supposedly civilized countries. “But don’t bring that up.” Sports […]
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