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Category: economics – Page 2

Experts warn of wider health impact of tropical cyclones in a warming climate

Beyond direct injuries, exposure to tropical cyclones is associated with higher risks of death across a range of causes including kidney, heart and lung diseases, neuropsychiatric conditions, and diabetes, finds a study published in The BMJ’s climate issue.

Risks were substantially higher in deprived communities and areas that have previously experienced fewer tropical cyclones, suggesting an urgent need to integrate more evidence on into disaster response plans, say the authors.

Tropical cyclones are one of the most devastating and costly extreme weather events, affecting an average of 20.4 million people a year with direct economic losses of US$51.5 billion over the past decade.

How hops produce chiral α-bitter acids that give beer its signature taste

Hops are an essential ingredient in beer brewing and an important economic crop. The female flowers of hops are covered in tiny glandular trichomes that synthesize and store a variety of specialized metabolites, collectively defining the flavor and quality of beer. Terpenes provide the distinctive aroma, xanthohumol has potent antioxidant properties that benefit human health, and α-bitter acids give beer its characteristic bitterness.

The Impact Of Tech On Geopolitics: Why Business Needs To Rethink Risk

#risk #tech #business #geopolitical

Geopolitical tensions and kinetic conflicts can impact both physical security and supply chain stability, as well as overall economic stability. Evolving and often contradictory regulatory environments can create compliance challenges across different jurisdictions. Operating on the home turf of potentially hostile nation-states can increase insider risk, as employees may choose or be compelled to misuse their privileged access to appropriate and exfiltrate sensitive information from the organization. There are also risks that remain agnostic of jurisdiction, such as cyber threats, whether perpetrated by criminals, state-backed actors, or even hacktivists.

Climate intervention may not be enough to save coffee, chocolate and wine

A new study published in Environmental Research Letters reveals that even advanced climate intervention strategies may not be enough to secure the future of wine grapes, coffee and cacao.

These crops are vital to many economies and provide livelihoods for farmers worldwide. However, they are increasingly vulnerable to the effects of . Rising temperatures and changing cause big variations in from year to year, meaning that farmers cannot rely on the stability of their harvest, and their produce is at risk.

The researchers specifically investigated Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) as a way of mitigating climate change in the top grape, coffee and cacao growing regions of western Europe, South America and West Africa. SAI is a hypothetical solar geoengineering method that involves releasing reflective particles into the stratosphere to cool Earth’s surface, mimicking the natural cooling effects of volcanic eruptions.

We could use neutrino detectors as giant particle colliders

There is a limit to how big we can build particle colliders on Earth, whether that is because of limited space or limited economics. Since size is equivalent to energy output for particle colliders, that also means there’s a limit to how energetic we can make them. And again, since high energies are required to test theories that go beyond the standard model (BSM) of particle physics, that means we will be limited in our ability to validate those theories until we build a collider big enough.

But a team of scientists led by Yang Bai at the University of Wisconsin thinks they might have a better idea—use already existing neutrino detectors as a large scale particle collider that can reach energies way beyond what the LHC is capable of. The findings are published on the arXiv preprint server.

Neutrinos are notorious for very weakly interacting with things—there are trillions of them passing through you as you read this sentence. However, put enough matter in their way and eventually a special few will run directly into a proton or electron. The resulting particle spray, which is typically going faster than light in whatever medium the neutrino hits, creates a light known as Cherenkov radiation. But really what causes the Cherenkov radiation are the particles created by what is essentially a giant particle .

Global initiative advances next-generation light sensors based on emerging materials

A global team of experts from academia and industry has joined forces in a landmark Consensus Statement on next-generation photodetectors based on emerging light-responsive materials, which could accelerate innovative applications across health care, smart homes, agriculture, and manufacturing.

Professor Vincenzo Pecunia, head of the Sustainable Optoelectronics Research Group (www.sfu.ca/see/soe), has led this global initiative culminating in the publication of a Consensus Statement in Nature Photonics. Featured on the journal’s cover, the paper provides a unified framework for characterizing, reporting, and benchmarking emerging light-sensing technologies. These guidelines could catalyze the adoption of such sensors across a wide range of applications, enhancing quality of life, productivity, and sustainability.

Light sensors, also known as photodetectors, are devices that convert light into electrical signals. They are at the heart of countless smart devices and represent a valued at over $30 billion, reflecting both their ubiquity and economic significance. Emerging photodetectors—including those based on organic semiconductors, perovskites, , and two-dimensional materials—could take this field even further by enabling ultrathin, flexible, stretchable, and lightweight sensors. These next-generation photodetectors promise lower costs, enhanced performance, and unique functionalities, paving the way for applications that were previously impossible.

Experts feared a disease rebound after COVID-19—it didn’t happen

As the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 stretched on, scientists watched for all sorts of unintended effects, from social to economic to environmental.

But the experts who predict wondered specifically whether other than COVID-19 would surge after the prolonged isolation of the population. Would cause us to have less immunity to common diseases? Would those diseases rebound with deadly consequences?

In a paper published in Science, the University of Georgia’s Tobias Brett and Pejman Rohani explored which infectious diseases were impacted by COVID-19 control measures and, of those, which rebounded. They found airborne diseases were most likely to rebound—but not as much as some feared. Surprisingly, the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases remained low, even long after -era behaviors changed.

Taiwan-based tech company to locate first US manufacturing facility in Georgetown

Pegatron officials will start construction on the Georgetown facility before the end of the year, the news release states. The company will invest a minimum of $35 million in capital in the city, and will hire at least 100 employees within the first three years of opening.

“The jobs and investment this corporation is bringing to Georgetown mark a milestone in our community’s economic growth,” Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said in the news release. “Their decision to put down roots here will have a lasting, positive impact on our community and the broader region for generations.”

The Coasean Singularity? Demand, Supply, and Market Design with AI Agents

Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, and business professionals.

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