Statistic of the decade: The massive deforestation of the Amazon
Dec 24, 2019 08:54 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
This year, I was on the judging panel for the Royal Statistical Societys International Statistic of the Decade. Much like Oxford English Dictionarys Word of the Year competition, the international statistic is meant to...

New laws are unraveling and weaponizing citizenship in India
Dec 24, 2019 08:27 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
Nearly two million residents of Indias eastern state of Assam are at risk of losing citizenship. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) published by the state government in August 2019 declares people who cannot prove...
How advertising through the ages has shaped Christmas
Dec 24, 2019 08:20 am UTC| Insights & Views Business
December 25, as we all know, is Jesus Christs birthday, a Christian celebration in which the myth of three kings who travelled far and wide to give gifts to the new born king inspires the modern Christian tradition of gift...
DNA database sold to help law-enforcement crack cold cases
Dec 24, 2019 08:19 am UTC| Insights & Views Science
During the Christmas season, genetic genealogy companies offer discounts on testing kits. We should be increasingly concerned not only about the accuracy of the tests but also about giving the gift that gives away all the...

Robots, AI and drones: when did toys turn into rocket science?
Dec 24, 2019 08:18 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology
Im a geek. And as a geek, I love my tech toys. But over time Ive noticed toys are becoming harder to understand. Some modern toys resemble advanced devices. There are flying toys, walking toys, and roving toys. A number...
3 internet language trends from 2019, explained
Dec 24, 2019 08:17 am UTC| Insights & Views Entertainment
Social media has created an entirely new linguistic ecosystem, with new words, phrases and features for expressing ourselves cropping up all the time. Last year, internet language expert Gretchen McCulloch whose...
Hate exercise? Small increases in physical activity can make a big difference
Dec 24, 2019 08:16 am UTC| Insights & Views Health
A new year typically brings new resolutions. While making resolutions is easy, sticking with them is not. Exercise-related resolutions consistently make the top 10 list, but up to 80% of resolutions to be healthier,...