The media and policymakers often say a ‘perfect storm’ of environmental factors cause wildfires but that ignores the role of irresponsible urban planning and development in raising fire risks.
People aren’t the perfectly rational, number-crunching risk-takers that traditional theory suggests. Research shows a whole variety of factors feed into risk-taking.
Musk’s audacious plan to blast people to Mars by 2024 glosses over some important social and political challenges that SpaceX will need to successfully navigate to get off the ground.
Are healthy behaviors virtuous (and unhealthy ones sinful), or are they just like any other choice? Here’s how we could likely improve our health if we viewed choice differently.
Many people may have stayed put during Hurricane Harvey because no storm that big had struck Texas since 1961. But like New Orleans after Katrina, Texas is likely to be much better prepared next time.
Technology requires humanity to innovate at a faster pace, but it also hampers true creative thinking. The good news? Nurturing creativity in children is easier than most people think.
Disasters may have ‘natural’ triggers but why are ethic minorities forced to live under harsh conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to catastrophes?
Why don’t people evacuate their homes when warned of impending storm danger? To save lives, resiliency plans must understand how locals in climate-vulnerable places assess risk.
Why is it so hard to reach consensus about how to slow climate change? Multiple time lags get in the way: some make it hard to convey the risk, while others prolong the search for solutions.
Jennifer Morris, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
When utilities plan investments, they think decades ahead. A recent study shows why power companies should be spending more on renewables despite the Trump administration’s tilt toward fossil fuels.
Did you know there has never been a safer time to be a child in Canada? Research shows that kids need freedom outdoors to explore exhilaration and fear, and discover their own limits.
Insurers complain noisily when regulators step in to stop them charging more to some groups, but there might be a benefit to us all when a better balance is found.
BCI devices that read minds and act on intentions can change lives for the better. But they could also be put to nefarious use in the not-too-distant future. Now’s the time to think about risks.