Weekly Roundup: The Best of Pop Culture X Science
This week’s roundup of news includes worrying reports that nature has officially lost its battle to humans and how Norway will try and do something about it by abandoning all gas guzzlers by 2025. As well as a personalised battle against depression now on the table for sufferers.
The Avalanches Return
On the 1st of June, Australian psych-popsters returned with their first piece of music in 16 years featuring Danny Brown and MF DOOM. As always a treat.
Our Oceans are Getting Weirder
Over 70% of the earth mass is covered in it. Yes, it’s the ocean, but we don’t really know much about it. A lot of weird stuff goes on in our oceans and it’s apparently getting weirder. Starfish are melting and blobs are appearing out of nowhere.
How We Un-nurtured Nature
More environmental news. New science shows that we haven’t had pristine landscapes for thousands of years. Why? As soon as humans flourished and appeared on every continent thousands of years ago we decimated every bit of our ecosystem. “In fact, you’d have to travel back more than 10,000 years to find the last point when most of the Earth’s landscapes were unaffected by humans.” Go humans!
Personalising Depression
Scientists at Kings College, London have come up with a nifty time-saving blood test which allows them to see if individuals suffering from depression will respond accurately from specific treatments. For more check out our interview with personalised medicine pioneer Tom Maniatis.
Forward-thinking and progressive Norway has announced that by 2025 they will take the audacious step of replacing all fossil fuel based cars with electric cars. We hope other countries follow.
Slavery in The Dark
A new 2016 Global Slavery Index estimates there are 45.8m people worldwide in slavery today, up from an estimated 36 million. Numbers remain murky because of something called, ‘the rule of dark figures’.
This week the world’s elite will descend at the Bilderberg Conference in Dresden to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing society, such as the Brexit, Trump, China and the new IT word – ‘precariat’.
Jennifer Lawrence to Play Theranos Founder
The epic downfall of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is as modern day Icarus tale. Now this tale will be fitted for the movie screens. Word has it that Jennifer Lawrence will be playing the starring role.
