STRANGE BUT TRUE
Q: Which country is the globe’s No. 2 exporter of food as measured by value, second only to the United States? A. Germany B. Brazil C. the Netherlands D. Canada
A: Surprisingly, it’s the Netherlands, a small densely populated country with a landmass less than 1 percent of the U.S., Frank Viviano says in National Geographic magazine. Since making a national commitment to sustainable agriculture almost two decades ago, the Dutch have achieved remarkable results: a 90 percent reduction of water on key crops, a 60 percent cut in antibiotic use with poultry and livestock and an almost complete elimination of pesticides on plants in greenhouses.
Imagine a country just a few thousand miles from the Arctic Circle being a global exporter of fairweather tomatoes.
For example, the tomato farm of the Duijvestijn brothers — named the world’s most innovative tomato growers — produces almost all of its own energy and fertilizer and draws on heat generated by geothermal aquifers to maintain optimal temperatures for year-round growing. A 36-acre greenhouse complex touts 20-foot-tall deep green vines heavy with 15 varieties of tomatoes. Since the vines are rooted in fibers spun from basalt and chalk, rainwater can provide all the irrigation needs at one-quarter the water required for plants in open fields.
Concludes Viviano: “With world population expected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050, agricultural intensification — increasing yields while decreasing the amount of land and water we use to grow food — drives Dutch farmers and researchers’ efforts to help feed the world.”
Q: The human voice can be commanding or soothing, reverential or shrill. How have drug companies in particular, capitalized on this powerful marketing tool?
A: According to STAT, a website that details news of the medical world, including the fast-moving business of making medicine, “drug ads almost always have two narrators — a steady, confident one which tells about the afflictions the drug treats, and a calm, soothing one which prattles off an extraordinarily long list of potential side effects,” Dan Lewis says on his Now I Know website.
Since manufacturers are legally required to disclose these side effects, they use two different tones of voice “to make subtle inferences which, they hope, only register on a subconscious level.” The message: Don’t worry about the side effects. This product is worth your purchase.
Q: Longevity is one of the hallmarks of a healthy nation. Though both wealth and education are major contributors, which has the stronger correlation? Is it money or schooling?
A: As far back as 1975, economists argued that wealth is the key, since everything from food to medical care costs money, Debora MacKenzie says in New Scientist magazine. But “the latest research suggests that education actually plays a bigger role in extending life span.” So say Wolfgang Lutz and Endale Kebede of Austria’s International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, who compiled average data on GDP per person, life spans and years of education from 174 countries from 1970-2010. They found “the differences in education closely predicted differences in life expectancy, whereas changes in wealth barely mattered” (Population and Development Review).
And, Lutz argues, since education happens early in life, it appears to “permanently improve a person’s cognitive abilities, allowing better planning and self-control for the rest of their life.” Further, education tends to lead to more wealth, so “wealth doesn’t seem to be driving longevity — both are driven by education.”
BILL SONES AND RICH SONES, FOR THE OKLAHOMAN