New Atlas

Environment Audio available

UN world population report predicts slowing growth rate, 10.9 billion peak by 2100

Rich Haridy June 17, 2019

The latest global population report from the UN estimates the world's population will peak at 10.9 billion by the end of the century. The vast majority of population growth is expected to come from sub-Saharan Africa, with declining population growth predicted in Asia, Europe and Latin America.

The United Nations World Population Prospects 2019 report paints a demographic picture of a very different ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

"Global measles crisis" as WHO reports cases up 300% from last year

Rich Haridy April 16, 2019

Preliminary measles surveillance data released by the WHO has revealed a stark surge in global cases over the first three months of 2019. The data indicates measles cases are 300 percent higher than at the same time in 2018, with major outbreaks currently occurring in a dozen different countries.

Measles cases around the globe are soaring to levels not seen in decades

Science Audio available

Massive global health study reveals "disturbing" trends

Rich Haridy November 11, 2018

The annual Global Burden of Disease study is a giant peer-reviewed assessment of global health trends. The results this year, published across a series of articles in The Lancet, present some concerning trends, from a worrying plateau in global mortality rates to a decline in global fertility rates.

The annual Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study reveals some worrying trends in people's health around ...

Space

NASA successfully launches SMAP satellite

Anthony Wood January 31, 2015

On its third attempt, NASA has successfully launched its Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket. The orbiter is designed to take high resolution moisture maps on a global scale, mapping the entire planet in the space of only two to three days.

NASA's SMAP satellite blasts off from the Vandenburg Air Force Base, California (Image: NASA, United Launch ...

Space

Planet says "cheese" for NASA's Earth Day "Global Selfie"

Darren Quick May 23, 2014

NASA has created a "Global Selfie" photomosaic comprised of over 36,000 individual photographs taken on or around April 22, 2014, also known as Earth Day. Users can scan and zoom to view the individual photos that make up the 3.2-gigapixel image.

The 3.2 gigapixel Global Selfie photomosaic that was made from 36,422 individual images (Image: NASA)

Science

Culturomics research uses quarter-century of media coverage to forecast human behavior

Darren Quick September 7, 2011

A new "culturomics" research project has used a supercomputer to examine a dataset made up of a quarter-century of worldwide news coverage to forecast and visualize human behavior.

Global geocoded tone of all New York Times content from 1946 (Image: Leetaru)

Telecommunications

ITU tracks the decade that transformed the world

Steven Hondrogiannis March 1, 2011

During the first decade of the 21st century, information and communication technologies came within reach of most of the world's people.

5.3 billion mobile subscribers sent 6.1 trillion text messages in 2010

Environment

Around the world in 80 days race for zero emission electric cars

Darren Quick June 16, 2010

The Zero Race is a race to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days in zero emission, electric powered cars that aims to harness public interest and inspire new ways of thinking about mobility, cars and renewable energy solutions.

Zero Race Tour Director and first man to circumnavigate the globe in a solar car, Louis ...

Space

Long awaited satellite to monitor water cycle reaches orbit

Darren Quick November 5, 2009

The SMOS is the first ever satellite designed both to map sea surface salinity and to monitor soil moisture on a global scale and the unique radiometer it carries will play a key role in the monitoring of climate change on a global scale.

The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission will make global observations of soil moisture over ...

Computers

Another global broadband offering from Verizon: the UMW190

Paul Ridden September 3, 2009

Verizon announces the release of another USB modem, the UMW190

Verizon's UMW190 has a sliding cover to hide the USB when not in use