The true cost of food is far higher than what you spend at the checkout counter

A new UN report finds that the true global cost of producing food is $12.7 trillion more than consumers pay at the checkout counter. We pay those uncounted costs in other ways.

Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, Arizona State University • conversation
Feb. 28, 2024 • ~10 min

How AI 'sees' the world – what happened when we trained a deep learning model to identify poverty

Researchers fed an advanced AI algorithm with satellite photographs to see if it could identify areas of poverty and it interpreted the data through abstract images.

Thorsteinn Rögnvaldsson, Professor, School of Information Technology, Halmstad University • conversation
Nov. 27, 2023 • ~8 min

The US committed to meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, but like other countries, it's struggling to make progress

Halfway to the SDGs’ 2030 deadline, countries have made progress, but most are struggling to meet all 17 goals. The US is no exception.

John Dernbach, Professor of Law Emeritus, Widener University • conversation
Sept. 6, 2023 • ~9 min

How ChatGPT might be able to help the world's poorest and the organisations that work with them

AI chatbots can be educational tools but still have many drawbacks.

Maximilian Bruder, PhD Research Fellow, Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT), United Nations University • conversation
Aug. 11, 2023 • ~7 min

Living near the fire – 500 million people worldwide have active volcanoes as neighbors

For some people, it’s a choice based on cultural beliefs or economic opportunities provided by the volcano. Other times it’s less a choice than the only option.

David Kitchen, Associate Professor of Geology, University of Richmond • conversation
July 13, 2023 • ~7 min

America faces a power disconnection crisis amid rising heat: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave

One in 4 American households are at risk of losing power because of the high cost of energy. Over 30% of those disconnections are in summer, when heat gets dangerous.

David Konisky, Lynton K. Caldwell Professor, Indiana University • conversation
July 5, 2023 • ~10 min

America's power disconnection crisis: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave

One in 4 American households are at risk of losing power because of the high cost of energy. Over 30% of those disconnections are in summer, when heat gets dangerous.

David Konisky, Lynton K. Caldwell Professor, Indiana University • conversation
July 5, 2023 • ~10 min

Poverty is linked to poorer brain development – but reading can help counteract it

Early childhood poverty is in fact a risk factor for lower educational attainment, poorer cognition and worse mental health.

Yun-Jun Sun, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence (ISTBI), Fudan University • conversation
July 5, 2023 • ~9 min

America's disconnection crisis: In 31 states, utilities can shut off power for nonpayment in a heat wave

One in 4 American households are at risk of losing power because of the high cost of energy. Over 30% of those disconnections are in summer, when heat gets dangerous.

David Konisky, Lynton K. Caldwell Professor, Indiana University • conversation
July 5, 2023 • ~10 min

Bees and hoverflies are key to growing more fruit and veg in cities -- new research

Maintaining a diversity of insects may be key for crop pollination in cities.

Elizabeth Nicholls, Research Fellow in Ecology, University of Sussex • conversation
June 15, 2023 • ~7 min

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