Flashing Palely in the Margins
A few things I learned this month
Below, a quick roundup of a few of the things I learned in March, 2020.
Over the course of this year, 700,000 people around the world will die from drug-resistant infections. That annual death toll could rise to 10 million by 2050, a major UN report recently warned, if we don’t make a radical change. (Vox)
The number of consumers age 60 and older with student loan debt has quadrupled over the last decade. (CFPB)
Streaming now accounts for nearly 80% of US music industry profit, earning $1 million an hour for the “Big Three” labels: Universal, Sony, and Warner. (NextWeb)
More than 32 percent of the world’s population has myopia, or nearsightedness. Researchers say that by 2050, almost 60 percent of the global population will have some level of myopia, predominantly in developed countries. (Outline)
Over an hour, people touch their faces 23 times on average, and nearly half of the touches are to the eyes, nose and mouth. (Journal of Infection Control)
For decades, cartographers have been hiding covert illustrations inside of Switzerland’s official maps. (AIGA)
Studies find that riding in an Uber or Lyft generates more carbon emissions than simply driving yourself. The increased pollution comes primarily from “deadheading,” that is, drivers traveling to pick up a passenger or cruising the streets while waiting for a ride request. (LA Times)
Scientists have fully sequenced the genome of the axolotl salamander in an effort to better understand how the axolotl has the ability to fully regenerate lost body parts. (Nature)
Despite progress in closing the equality gap, 91% of men and 86% of women hold at least one bias against women in relation to politics, economics, education, violence or reproductive rights. (Guardian)
Tummlers were professional minglers at shows and social gatherings in the Catskills in the mid-20th century. They were the person in the room who wasn’t quite the M.C. but walked around and made sure everyone was doing okay; if you were feeling shy, they’d even help you strike up a conversation with other vacationers at the resort. (NYTimes)
US video game usage during peak hours has gone up 75 percent since the COVID-19 quarantine first went into effect. (Hollywood Reporter)
The initials “O.K.” were first published in 1839 in The Boston Morning Post, meant as an abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang misspelling of “all correct” at the time. (LitHub)