I’m not really a history expert, definitely not authoritatively with sources. I’m more focused on human biology and medicine for my area of expertise.

Experts on what kinds of science topics are you looking for?

I miss the golden days of r/askscience and r/askhistorians on Reddit. I was flared contributor on r/askscience for pharmacology and medicine related topics

They are not independent of each other though. We wouldn’t need nearly as much crop farming if it weren’t going to feed livestock

Yeah, I’m not fully vegan either because it is hard to go 100% in our society and I grew up in a very meat heavy household, takes time to change. I tend to stick more with Impossible for the plant based meat alternatives, especially the ground beef substitute. I find finishing it in the air fryer/convection oven improves the texture a lot. But chickpeas have become a larger part of my diet, they’re pretty versatile.

about 80% of agricultural land globally is used for raising live stock or growing food to feed livestock, but animal-based products provide less than 20% of calories consumed by humans. Meat is the main cause of industrial farming

If only there was some sort of Impossible plant-based solution that went Beyond expectations in terms of taste and lower resource use than meat…

The new Slate mini pick up trucks are expected to be in production this year and come in around $20k new. Used EVs already come in under $20k and are good enough for daily commuting in that price range, perhaps not long distance road trips at that price

I replaced my gas water heater with a heat pump water heater. It’s great! I live in a humid climate and having the extra cooling/dehumidifying in the summer is a great bonus. It does make the basement noticably colder all year round though. The energy/financial savings are essentially, I get free hot water in the summer, and a little extra demand for heating the house in the winter.

Recovery time is not really noticeable unless we have company staying with us. My Rheem unit has a “High Demand” mode that kicks on both the heat pump and resistive elements to provide recovery comparable to a gas heater.

The old heater was end of life and the local incentives made it cheaper to install a heat pump water heater than any other type. 15-20 years is considered end of life, most warranties only go to 10 years.

Most tank water heaters have a sacrificial rod or two regardless of heat source

Tankless water heaters are really only practical with burning either oil or gas, the main benefit being you’ll never run out of hot water.

Undecided with Matt Ferrell has a good video on heat pump water heaters Technology Connections has a good video on home electrification

Edit: find a contractor(s) who know how to work with local incentives. Federal tax credits were ended by the “Big Beautiful Bill” last year.

BMI was never discredited. It’s always been intended as a population-level estimate of obesity. There have been a number of studies over the years that have correlated other health outcomes to BMI, but those things are intended to be population-level correlations. For example BMI is correlated with average expected life span, where a BMI in the “healthy” range is correlated with longer average lifespans, and both under or overweight BMIs are correlated with shorter average lifespans. Your specific health situation may vary.

MRI or DXA scans can more accurately determine body fat percentage to determine obesity. Comparing those with BMI has an error rate of around 20% of people being miscategorized as under or overweight.

Bottom line, don’t be sedentary all the time, get physical activity and eat a healthy diet instead of getting too hung up on what metrics are best. Progress over perfection.

I like Harvard’s Nutrition Source for science-based nutrition info that’s easy to read.

Yep, greenhouses make it easier to control the growing conditions, particularly in extreme desert climates

Two of the worst sustainability issues with US agriculture practice is that we use too much land to feed livestock and inefficiently fuel cars. Growing plant-based protein sources uses about 90% fewer resources and land compared to say beef. A good 25-30% of our corn is also used inefficiently to create fuel for cars, relevant Technology Connections video. So reducing meat consumption and replacing a fraction of the corn fields with solar panels would free up a lot more land that could be used to directly feed humans and more efficiently power electric vehicles.

Dave Brandt is his name, he has some good educational seminars

No till farming significantly reduces the need for fertilizer, while reducing costs for farmers and reducing water pollution.

It was a cause championed by honest work farmer guy meme too:

Commenting, so sophisticated

I think this is a critical point. Broadcast TV and Radio used to create a common shared cultural identity. But now a lot of the population has hyper personalized algorithms driving what content they consume, and there’s an overwhelming amount of content out there. At least once a week I hear someone mention a new “must watch” TV show or podcast I’ve never heard of and don’t have time for… So yeah, who defines “culturally normal?”

Others.have already mentioned art. I also see fashion as a way to make me feel more confident about myself. If I feel like I look good, it adds to the messages I’m sharing with the people I interact with

Nicotine addiction isn’t a habit, it’s an addiction. If you smoke, quitting is the number one thing you can do to improve your health. In the US you can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit Lung.org for free evidence-based resources to help with quitting.

Long chain alkanes? So you’re saying there’s oil on Mars?! Sounds like Mars could use some freedom

I disagree , electricity transportation is superior to fossil fuel transportation. 40% of all oceanic shipping traffic is for fossil fuels, which consumes more energy. Plus all of the land based fossil fuel shipping. Investing in grid infrastructure makes the grid more resilient to disasters and distributes energy more directly and efficiently than by vehicle or pipeline. Plus the benefits of less congested shipping, rail, and road routes, less air pollution, and less noise pollution for sea life.

I go with something like these, but I’m not sure what brand I have