Daniel Lemire's blog

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Science and Technology (October 31st 2021)

  1. Though exoskeletons are exciting and they allow some of us to carry one with physical activities despite handicaps, they appear to require quite a bit of brain power. In effect, though they may help you move, they require a lot of mental effort which can be distracting.1. It is difficult to make people smarter by changing their environment. Socioeconomic background effects on children’s cognitive development and student achievement are likely to be spurious according to new research.
  2. There is a U-shaped association between cardiovascular health and physical activity. A moderate amount of physical activity is really good for you, but you can do too much.
  3. In richer countries where women are treated as equals to men, there are greater differences between boys’ and girls’ aspirations. For example, boys are more likely to be attracted to science compared to girls in a rich country.
  4. Scientists spend ever more time in school for relatively few desirable positions. These scientists are then ever more likely to pursue post-doctoral positions. These longer studies are a significant net loss of their lifetime income.