The Dutch government is intending to legalise assisted suicide for people who are not terminally ill but who simply feel that their life is “complete” and wish to end it. The Netherlands was the first country to legalise euthanasia, in 2002, but the law only applied to terminally ill patients who were judged to be …
If you want to head off regulation arising from evidence that links your product to ill health, muddy the waters by creating the impression of a controversy where none exists. A US study highlights this approach, suggesting the “manufacture of scientific controversy” casting doubt on the connection between sugary drinks, obesity and diabetes. Of 60 …
Continue reading ‘No wonder people distrust some scientists’ »
But there is good news for chocaholics like me. Nestlé claims to have found a way of reducing the sugar content of its chocolate by as much as 40% – without relying on artificial sweeteners. The manufacturer says that it has found a way of making “hollow” sugar particles that dissolve faster, and taste as …
Continue reading ‘I am only allowed one small square of chocolate a day. Sigh!’ »
26% of Britons believe it can be acceptable to torture enemy combatants in order to extract information; 50% do not. 46% of Americans think torture in such cases can be acceptable; 30% oppose it. It is also condoned by 50% of Israelis, and 70% of Nigerians. (ICRC/The Guardian) Torture is barbaric, usually ineffective, produces …
What are the odds of an American child earning more as an adult than his or her parents earned at the same age? Researchers say that rising income inequality explains 70% of the steady decline in absolute mobility from the baby boom generation to the millennials. Earnings for typical Americans have stagnated while those for …
