|
|
|
|
At a time of global conflict, climate change, environmental disaster, extreme weather, affordability pressures, health-care crunches and inflation, it seems like our current era is battling crises on all fronts. We’re currently experiencing a polycrisis, a moment in time “where social, political, economic, environmental and other systems are not only deeply interrelated, but nearly all of them are under strain or experiencing some kind of disaster or extreme upheaval.”
In an in-depth article from The Conversation’s Insights series, Daniel Hoyer at the University of Toronto writes about a new field of historical study called cliodynamics, which investigates how complex systems change over time. It’s a scientific approach to the study of history, and uses scientific research tools like statistical analysis and computational models to reveal information and patterns about the past.
One of the patterns revealed in the research is that, at other moments of polycrisis, extreme inequality is present. “When big gaps exist between the haves and have-nots, not just in material wealth but also access to positions of power,” Hoyer writes, “this breeds frustration, dissent and turmoil.”
Also today:
|
|
Nehal El-Hadi
Science + Technology Editor
|
|
The Death of Julius Caesar, an 1806 painting by Vincenzo Camuccini.
Wikipedia
Daniel Hoyer, University of Toronto
Historian and complexity scientist, Dan Hoyer, examines why past societies collapsed when faced with crisis, while others founds ways to survive and flourish.
|
A disabled young female macaque named Monmo at the Awajishima Monkey Center in Japan.
(Sarah E. Turner)
Sarah E. Turner, Concordia University; Brogan M. Stewart, Concordia University; Jack Creeggan, Concordia University; Megan M. Joyce, Concordia University; Mikaela Gerwing, Concordia University; Stephanie Eccles, Concordia University
A community of macaques in Japan has a high rate of disabled individuals who survive with behavioural flexibility and maternal care. Globally, primate disabilities are often related to human causes.
|
Auditor General Karen Hogan testifies before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2024. She came to some harsh conclusions about the management of the ArriveCan app.
Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
Annie Lecompte, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
The cost overruns of the ArriveCan app are exceptional, but the scandal is not unique in history. There are solutions available to prevent the excessive use of public funds.
|
People walking on a pathway watch crews flood the ice on the Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa on Feb. 17, 2024. The Skateway opened in late January but mild weather and freezing rain forced it to close after only four days.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
H. Damon Matthews, Concordia University; Mitchell Dickau, Concordia University
Global warming is melting away an iconic cornerstone of Canadian culture — outdoor skating.
|
A study of more than 155,000 students in the Toronto District School Board found only 55 per cent of students who self-identify as Black are applying to post-secondary education.
(Shutterstock)
Kelly Gallagher-Mackay, Wilfrid Laurier University; Carl E. James, York University, Canada; Christine Corso, University of Toronto; Gillian Parekh, York University, Canada; Robert S. Brown, York University, Canada
All students who apply to university need ‘U’ courses, but Toronto-area research reveals few students with zero Grade 12 ‘U’ courses apply for any post-secondary education at all.
|
Homes under construction in a new suburb of Ottawa in October 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
David L.A. Gordon, Queen's University, Ontario
Following the Second World War, the federal government led the country’s transformation from a rural to a suburban nation, despite lacking any constitutional jurisdiction in community planning.
|
Collecting genetic information for the purposes of determining life insurance protections could lead to genetic discrimination.
(Shutterstock)
Diya Uberoi, McGill University; Yann Joly, McGill University
Canada needs additional regulation, developed through public consultations, stakeholder collaborations and community partnerships, to help regulate genetic testing and prevent genetic discrimination.
|
La Conversation Canada
|
Les entreprises ne seront pas mieux gérées avec l'arrivée de l'IA… bien au contraire.
(Shutterstock)
Guillaume Desjardins, Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO)
L’intégration d’un outil rationnel dans un environnement irrationnel ne donne pas toujours les résultats anticipés !
|
Arts
|
-
Thoko Sipungu, Rhodes University
The interviews in this book offer firsthand insights into women’s participation in the armed struggle against apartheid.
|
|
Health
|
-
Rahul Sidhu, University of Sheffield
Artificial intelligence helped identify the blood proteins that are the best predictors of dementia.
|
|
Science + Tech
|
-
Wieteke Holthuijzen, University of Tennessee
On a small, remote island in the Pacific Ocean, an unlikely predator feasts on the world’s largest albatross colony. Researchers are trying to figure out how to stop these murderous mice.
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
