It’s not just the developers, but the entire organizations they work within that prioritize shipping new features rather than reliability, because that’s generally what’s most profitable (at least in the short term). It’s hard to change those incentives for an entire organization.
"Nitrate levels in Iowa's major rivers have increased more than threefold since the 1950s, but have stabilized — and even slightly declined — in recent decades, according to an in-depth review of available research."
From what I have read, Universa's clients are institutional investors and super rich people. Not sure how easy this is to reproduce as a less sophisticated investor.
Atmospheric shielding, yes, but I recall reading somewhere that Venus lacks a magnetic field because it rotates so slowly. I’m not sure the atmosphere would totally compensate for this.
I remember reading somewhere that the high percentage of chestnut was likely due cultivation / encouragement of growth by Native Americans. I think it was in the book 1491. A plausible theory but hard to prove, I guess.
There are at least a couple resistant varieties ("Princeton" comes to mind) but none are fully immune. Resistance seems to depend on the type of beetle infesting the tree and other stressors.
I'd guess part of why those cities were chosen were to have enough data points to draw conclusions, since all the examples are from a narrow time frame.
If we had all done that exercise in school, more people would be better at managing their money. This analogy only works if "success" or whatever is a random walk (like I believe picking stocks is).
I wonder to what extent domestic casts have replaced mustelids (weasels, badgers, etc.) and similar small predators in North America. If there were fewer cats, would there be more mustelids? Would they then have a similar effect on the bird and rodent populations?
Good points, but trees were a primary energy source before the industrial revolution. When fossil fuels like coal replaced trees for cooking and heating, trees began to return to the landscape. Some areas of the US are more forested now than they were in the 19th century, also due to more efficient agriculture.