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A team of environmental scientists and physical limnologists has published a fascinating study that may provide a scientific explanation for one of the most famous stories in the Bible: Jesus’ miraculous “multiplication” of fish. This research investigates natural events that may have created an abundance of fish in <keyword id="23812630" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lake-kinneret" source="keywords">Lake Kinneret</keyword>, also known as the Sea of Galilee, without any need for divine intervention.<br /><h2>The story behind the miracle</h2>The New Testament recounts two instances where Jesus multiplied a small amount of food to feed the hungry. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells Simon Peter to cast his nets in the Sea of Galilee, leading to an overwhelming catch of fish. In the Gospel of John, Jesus supposedly turned a few loaves of bread and a handful of fish into a meal for thousands of followers. For nearly two millennia, Christians have interpreted these events as miracles, showcasing Jesus’ divine power. But could there have been a natural phenomenon behind these "miraculous" catches?<br /><br />The new study doesn’t aim to discredit these ancient accounts but rather to explore what might have been happening in the lake at the time. Using a range of modern scientific techniques, the research team examined Lake Kinneret’s unique conditions to see if there might be another reason for these “miraculous” catches of fish.<br /><h2>What happens in Lake Kinneret</h2>The researchers found that Lake Kinneret is naturally stratified, with two distinct layers of water: a warmer, oxygen-rich upper layer, where most fish reside, and a colder, oxygen-poor lower layer. Normally, these two layers remain separate, but every once in a while, a unique combination of environmental conditions causes them to mix. This phenomenon, known as “thermal stratification,” results in a sudden and dangerous depletion of oxygen throughout the lake, leaving fish unable to breathe at any level of the water.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="114938626" title="&amp;quot;Sugar early in life is the new tobacco&amp;quot;: Scientists urge food companies to reformulate baby foods and tax sugary options" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>When this mixing happens, the fish die off en masse and float to the surface. To someone on the shore, this could look like an abundance of fish suddenly appearing, ready for easy collection. Imagine standing by the lake as hundreds or even thousands of fish rise to the surface — the scene could easily inspire stories of miraculous bounty.<br /><h2>A coincidence or a miracle?</h2>To investigate the phenomenon, the research team deployed temperature sensors, oxygen metres, and even tested wind speed and direction in the lake. These instruments confirmed that Lake Kinneret experiences regular die-offs of fish due to stratification, followed by these mass appearances of fish near the surface. According to their findings, similar environmental conditions existed around the time of Jesus, making it possible that such a die-off event occurred then, too.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="114885489" title="A 14-year-old took home $10,000 for his award-winning investigation into train derailments. Here&amp;#39;s what he found." mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>The team’s research also indicated that strong winds across the lake could drive oxygen-poor waters to the surface, killing off fish in greater numbers. They observed that specific types of fish in Lake Kinneret are especially prone to this kind of die-off and tend to end up along the shore, where they could be easily collected by a hungry populace.<br /><br />While the study’s findings don’t rule out the possibility of miracles, they suggest that at least some of the stories of miraculous catches might be explained by natural processes. If Jesus and his disciples happened to be fishing in Lake Kinneret during one of these die-offs, the sudden appearance of fish may have seemed miraculous.<br /><br />From a modern perspective, it’s a reminder that ancient people often attributed unusual natural events to divine intervention simply because they lacked the scientific knowledge we have today. Rather than taking away from the significance of these stories, the scientific findings highlight the powerful ways in which natural events can intersect with human experience, shaping beliefs and narratives that endure through millennia.<br /><br />The findings of this research have been published in <em>Water Resources Research</em> and can be accessed <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037894">here</a>.<br />

How did Jesus 'multiply' his fish? A new study provides an answer that is more science than miracle

<br />The Shri Ayutchandi Mahayagna Samiti, a <keyword id="6368818" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hindu">Hindu</keyword> organization based in <keyword id="6357881" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Meerut">Meerut</keyword>, is pursuing a rather unconventional route to minimise air pollution. On March 18th, the group’s members started burning around 50,000 kilograms of discarded mango wood as part of a nine-day <keyword id="79690" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ritual">ritual</keyword> aimed at purifying the air. The ceremony reportedly features 108 fire pits and involves the participation of around 350 Brahmin priests. It will be completed once 10 million offerings are burned in the firepits.<br /><br />The organisation’s vice-president, Girish Bansal, was <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/hindu-body-to-burn-500-quintals-of-mango-wood-for-nine-days-to-reduce-pollution/articleshow/63275405.cms">quoted </a>by the Times of India as saying that the burning of mango wood with ghee made from cow’s milk would make the air cleaner. When asked for a scientific explanation, he pinned the lack of evidence on the very fact that no research had been carried out yet. Another member of the organisation, Gyanendra Agarwal, took things a step further by saying that the ozone layer above India had less damage when compared to other countries owing to the regular occurrence of rituals. <br /><br />
	
	<div type="image" title="Meerut: Members of Shri Ayutchandi Mahayagna Samiti take part in a nine-day-long..." msid="63380737" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Members of Shri Ayutchandi Mahayagna Samiti take part in a nine-day-long &amp;#39;mahayagya&amp;#39; at the Bhainsali ground of Meerut on Monday. Samiti members have decided to burn 500 quintals of mango wood in a nine-day-long &amp;#39;mahayagna&amp;#39; to reduce pollution.Photo&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>




<br />As <keyword id="6357713" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</keyword> lacks a policy to prevent the pollution caused by Hindu rituals, the state’s pollution authorities aren’t able to stop the ceremony. <br /><br />There is no adequate policy at the central level as well. In February 2016, the National Green Tribunal asked the Environment Ministry to promote more environmentally-friendly methods of cremation, like electric or CNG-based cremation, citing the damage done to air and rivers. However, there hasn’t been any significant progress on the issue.<br /><br />Religion usually takes precedence over the environment in India. As a result of bursting crackers on Diwali, the fall festival of lights, vast quantities of smoke are released. Last year, the Supreme Court’s move to ban the sale of firecrackers during Diwali was termed “anti-Hindu” by fringe elements. The holy Ganges, which plays host to the ashes of dead Hindus and ritual bathing, is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. <br /><br />If India can’t even save the water bodies that are venerated under Hindu tradition, there can’t be much hope for the rest of the environment. <br />

An anti-science Hindu group is three days into a 9-day bonfire ritual they claim will purify the air

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>America's very first offshore wind turbine was erected last week off the coast of Rhode Island.</span></p><p>Construction on the five-turbine, $250 million project will finish this summer. When the wind farm starts generating power late this year, it will be the first to operate off the coast of the US.</p><p>As offshore wind gets its start here, project developers have leaned heavily on expertise from Europe, where offshore wind has a 25-year head start.&#xa0;</p><h2><strong>An ideal location&#xa0;</strong></h2><p>The five wind turbines are being assembled this month by a special Norwegian installation ship about three miles off the coast of Block Island, a popular vacation spot about an hour's ferry ride from mainland Rhode Island.</p><p><div></div></p><p>The windfarm is relatively small, 30 megawatts, enough to power about 17,000 homes. It's small by design, meant to prove that offshore wind can work off the coast of the US and pave the way for larger wind farms.</p><p>Offshore wind has been slow to arrive in the US in part because of regulatory delays and opposition from influential coastal residents.&#xa0;A wind farm proposed more than a decade ago off Cape Cod would have been the first in the nation but was derailed by opposition from residents.&#xa0; &#xa0;&#xa0;</p><p>That didn't happen on Block Island.</p><p>"The people who live and work here feel strongly that we need to do things for our environment, so there's a real philosophical belief in [clean energy]," says&#xa0;Kim Gaffett, who directs an environmental foundation on Block Island and was head of the island's town council when the windfarm was proposed.</p><p>Block Island is known for its quaint main street and its long, sandy beaches and nature preserves.</p><p>The year-round population of about 1,000 multiplies to several times that in the summer months.</p><p>The island attracts visitors and residents who value nature, which Gaffett said helped the offshore wind project succeed here when others have failed elsewhere. &#xa0;</p><p>There's another, more immediate reason why offshore wind is coming first to Block Island: high electricity prices.</p><p>The island isn't connected to Rhode Island's grid, so it currently burns diesel that has to be shipped there from the mainland to generate electricity. That means the island's electricity rates are among the highest in the nation. In most of the rest of the country offshore wind would cost much more than energy from other sources. But on Block Island, it might actually prove cheaper.&#xa0;&#xa0;</p><p>"There was a real advantage to trying to find an alternative way to produce power that was less expensive," Gaffett said.</p><h2><strong>Expertise borrowed from Europe&#xa0;&#xa0;&#xa0;</strong></h2><p>Turbine construction is being coordinated from the Port of Providence, about 50 miles away from Block Island, where the European influence is noticeable. &#xa0;</p><p>French, Dutch and Spanish accents are just a few you can hear walking through the temporary office that serves as the logistical hub for the project.</p><p>"If you add up all nationalities working on this project, probably you come to 20 or 25 nationalities," said Chris van Beek, president of&#xa0;Deepwater Wind, the project developer. Van Beek is a Dutch citizen who worked in offshore energy for 25 years in the Netherlands before moving to Rhode Island.</p><p>The US is new to the offshore wind game, so Deepwater Wind is getting some of its expertise and most of its huge turbine parts from Europe.</p><p>Outside the Port of&#xa0;Providence, van Beek pointed out tower sections and 250-foot long blades waiting to be shipped out to Block Island.</p><p>"The towers were fabricated in Spain," van Beek said. "The blades were fabricated in Denmark, the Danes are very good and specialized in that kind of work."</p><p>Those Danish blades were elegantly tapered, like skinny airplane wings, and stacked horizontally in a type of storage scaffolding.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>The US has been slow to adopt offshore wind partly because it has lots of wide open land that's good for cheaper, onshore wind. It has domestic natural gas and coal, and comparably low electricity prices. And it has bureaucracy that has yet to be streamlined. Deepwater Wind had to get approval from roughly a dozen state and federal agencies for its wind farm.</p><p>"It's harder here," van Beek said. "There's no template for it, so what we do is a lot of meetings with the regulators, sitting there and saying, this is how we want to do that."</p><p>Regulatory wrinkles are beginning to be ironed out as East Coast states work with developers to meet ambitious new renewable energy goals. States want to tap into the winds that blow hard and consistently off the coast.</p><p>Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker this month signed a law requiring utilities to work with offshore wind developers to build enough wind energy to power about 240,000 homes in the next decade. Baker said that represents one of the largest commitments in the country to renewable energy.&#xa0;&#xa0;</p><h2><strong>Offshore wind still controversial&#xa0;</strong></h2><p>Still, the public hasn't totally been won over to offshore wind, even on eco-friendly Block Island. The wind farm is still controversial there - a topic, like politics and religion, you don't talk about at a dinner party.</p><p>Teenager Tatum Shaw said the wind farm ruins the view from a bluff near her family's summer house.</p><p>"You face a certain way and it's ugly and you see them and they look super up-close," Shaw said, "and then when you face the other way it's natural and beautiful like it's supposed to be."</p><p>The turbines are clearly visible from the southern coast, even on cloudy or foggy days.&#xa0;They're easy to spot from the grounds of a historic brick lighthouse situated on a high bluff on the southeastern part of the island.</p><p>But on a recent visit to the lighthouse, former town council head Kim Gaffett was quick to point out that not everyone agrees with Tatum Shaw's assessment of the turbines.</p><p>"People have been, since last summer, coming up here to see this," Gaffett said. "As much as there are people who don't want to see them, there are people coming here&#xa0;<em>to</em>&#xa0;see them."</p><p>Gaffett hopes this interest paves the way for the bigger offshore wind projects that are in the pipeline.&#xa0;And that one day, the US coastline will look a bit more like Europe's.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gun-bullet-fired-straight-up-into-air-2016-8">Here's what happens when a bullet is fired straight into the air</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="YzcW0yNTE6G9s2Ktyv-kSppnu2m0AVu_" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The US got its first offshore wind farm, with a lot of help from Europe

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Skye Gould/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Solving America's energy problems, like reducing dependence on foreign oil and moving the country to a lower-carbon economy, will be a major election issue and a top priority for the next president.</span></p><p>Donald Trump's energy plan, is short on specific details and <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/an-america-first-energy-plan">spends a lot of time</a> calling out "extremist" Clinton. Trump's plan is supremely focused on American "energy independence" at all costs, and he's fully supportive of deregulating fossil fuels. </p><p>For his part, Trump supports "rational" environmental concerns but not at the expense of decreasing fossil-fuel production in the US. Trump called clean energy incentives "a disaster" during the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/clinton-trump-debate-live-blog-watch-stream-2016-9">presidential debate</a> at Hofstra University in September.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Skye Gould/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Renewable energy</h2><p><span>Clean technology - solar, wind, and hydroelectric - is a rapidly growing sector of the US economy. </span></p><p>Donald Trump has supported ramping up fossil-fuel production as a vehicle for job growth and feels it will lead to a "resurgence in American manufacturing." </p><p>Trump's campaign cited a study from the Institute of Energy Research (IER), a nonprofit that <span>conducts research on government regulation in energy markets, to support his claims. According to IER, lifting regulations on American energy production will amount to a $700 billion increase in annual economic output. </span></p><p><span>The IER's study was authored by <span>Dr. Joseph Mason, the <span>Endowed Chair of Banking at the Ourso School of Business at Louisiana State University. </span></span></span></p><p><span>It's important to note that IER is affiliated with the <a href="http://americanenergyalliance.org/">American Energy Alliance</a>, a pro-fossil-fuel group linked to Charles and David Koch. Many economists have expressed doubt over IER's findings, <span><span>reports <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/22/trump-again-touts-an-energy-plan-that-many-economists-seriously-doubt.html">CNBC</a>. </span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>"<span>This is not academic research and would never see the light of day in an academic journal," Thomas Kinnaman, the <span>chair of the Economics Department at Bucknell University,</span> told CNBC, regarding IER's study. </span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span>Chris Warren, IER's director of communications, pointed out to Business Insider in an email that the IER's study is based off of a report by the Congressional Budget Office, and uses a model frequently used by government agencies to score laws and regulations. </span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny</span></p><p class="caption">The Bouri oilfield, Libya's biggest offshore field, is seen 130 km (81 miles) north of Tripoli October 9, 2013.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></span></span></p><h2>Oil drilling </h2><p>Oil drilling is an efficient yet highly destructive and invasive process for obtaining fossil fuel.</p><p>In March, the Obama administration announced that it would <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/03/15/obama-pulls-plans-to-allow-oil-drilling-off-southern-atlantic-coast/?utm_term=.2ae5dac64826">not open new oil reserves</a> near the southeastern Atlantic coast for drilling. Obama, however, did free up three massive reserves on sensitive habitat in Alaska earlier this year, though environmental activists say the land <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/03/will-any-oil-company-ever-drill-in-the-arctic/474234/">should never be drilled</a>. </p><p>Trump's "<a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/an-america-first-energy-plan">America First</a>" energy plan will lift most restrictions on oil and gas companies and allow them to drill in the Arctic and the Gulf of Mexico. </p><p>Trump's campaign said that he will <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/an-america-first-energy-plan">revoke all policies</a> that place "unwarranted restrictions" on new drilling zones, including in the Arctic and the Atlantic coast. Trump's <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/economic-vision">campaign also called</a> Obama's decision to close the Atlantic reserves to drilling a "job-killing" policy. </p><p>Though Trump's plan has few specifics, it's safe to assume that this means he will open up a lot more land - and ocean - for drilling. </p><p>Some experts think that's a misguided policy. </p><p>Installing wind power off of the southeastern Atlantic coast could produce more jobs and more energy over the next two decades than drilling for oil, according to <a href="http://oceana.org/sites/default/files/sc_offshoreenergy_op.pdf">a study</a> from Oceana, a conservation-focused environmental nonprofit.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast</span></p><p class="caption">Drivers and their tanker trucks, capable of hauling water and fracking liquid line up near a natural gas burn off flame and storage tanks in Williston, ND.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking'</h2><p>Fracking is a method of injecting liquid deep into the earth's crust to release previously inaccessible natural-gas reserves. Fracking has helped the US significantly increase domestic fuel production, and it's a popular method anywhere there's shale, like North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma. </p><p>Fracking has also come under intense scrutiny for its environmental impact. It has been shown to <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fracking-can-contaminate-drinking-water/">contaminate groundwater</a> - used for drinking - in Wyoming, and there have been <a href="http://www.theoec.org/campaign/fracking-impacts-water-quality">multiple</a> <a href="http://www.athensnews.com/opinion/readers_forum/study-on-fracking-health-risks-reinforces-call-for-moratorium/article_bb60bb35-8424-5d6e-a1b9-159258c07e9c.html">reports</a> all over the US of similar issues. Wastewater disposal from fracking, which is injected deep into the ground, has also been <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/fracking-earthquakes-2013542184.html">linked to earthquakes</a> in Texas. </p><p>Trump's campaign has expressed that "energy independence" will be a top priority if Trump gets elected. Within the first 100 days of a Trump presidency, his campaign said he would "lift moratoriums" on energy production in federal areas.</p><p>He also <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/an-america-first-energy-plan">railed against</a> the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for fining energy companies in North Dakota, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service for abusing the Endangered Species Act for "restricting" oil and gas exploration. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Larry Downing</span></p><p class="caption">Veto supporters rally in front of the White House on the same day U.S. President Barack Obama vetoed a Republican bill approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada, in Washington, February 24, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Keystone XL pipeline</h2><p>The Keystone XL pipeline is a proposed $8 billion oil pipeline that would bring crude oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Gulf coast of Texas, reports <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/business/international/transcanada-to-sue-us-for-blocking-keystone-xl-pipeline.html">The New York Times</a>. It was the subject of massive protests over the past few years and was ultimately vetoed by the Obama Administration.</p><p>Most of the oil produced in Alberta's oil sands - a process with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-destructive-canada-oil-sands-2012-10/#t-thousands-flock-here-to-make-real-money-in-the-oil-sands--where-creating-synthetic-crude-begins-in-the-strip-mine-3">notorious environmental repercussions</a> - is bought by American companies.</p><p><span>Trump has said that he will ask Trans Canada to renew its permit application to build the pipeline within the first 100 days of taking office, </span><a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/an-america-first-energy-plan">according to his campaign</a><span>. Trump's campaign said that the pipeline </span><a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/an-america-first-energy-plan">would create</a><span> 42,000 jobs, but it's unclear where this figure comes from. </span></p><p><span>Trump has <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/22/trump-again-touts-an-energy-plan-that-many-economists-seriously-doubt.html">remained silent</a><span> on the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline, which has been the subject of protests by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe on the border of North and South Dakota in recent weeks. The pipeline could pose a threat to the local environment and water resources.</span></span></p><p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="caption">Coal miners.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><h2><strong>Coal power</strong></h2><p>Coal is one the cheapest and most polluting fuel sources. Coal production <a href="http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/#coal">has fallen</a> over the past decade, and it's critical to the economies of many Appalachian and Rust belt states. </p><p>Coal power is the US's <a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c02c.html#.V-WIfJMrIlK">top source of carbon dioxide</a> - a primary cause of global warming - in the air, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit advocacy organization.</p><p>Trump's campaign <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/economic-vision">has said</a> that they will "save the coal industry" from Clinton's "extremist agenda." Trump wants to end regulation that impacts the growth of the coal industry, including the EPA's <a href="https://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan/clean-power-plan-existing-power-plants">Clean Power Plan</a>.</p><p>The loss of coal-mining jobs has <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/20/politics/election-2016-white-working-class-donald-trump-kaiser-family-foundation/">devastated many communities</a> in states like West Virginia and Pennsylvania - states that Trump hopes to carry in November. The low price of coal, coupled with declining production in these coal mines, means that <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2016/05/09/world/west-virginia-coal">these jobs likely aren't coming back</a>, Marketplace reported.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Steam and other emissions are seen coming from funnels at a chemical manufacturing facility.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Emissions</h2><p><span>Reducing harmful emissions from power generation is one of the key tenets of the </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-paris-climate-change-agreement-2015-12">Paris climate accords</a><span>, an international agreement ratified by over 60 countries.</span></p><p><span><span>Trump doesn't spend too much time discussing emissions. His campaign said that he's "committed" to the use of natural gas, which </span><a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/environmental-impacts-of-natural-gas.html#.V-WSxJMrIlI">emits around half</a><span> of the carbon dioxide as coal when combusted. Trump has also made pulling out of the Paris agreements and rolling back emissions-reduction targets priorities for his first 100 days in office, should he be elected. </span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/map-shows-how-religion-spread-around-the-world-2016-9">This animated map shows how religion spread across the world</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="F5aHR4dTob1y4-cHP5qNzXITGcq1vPVW" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Here's where Donald Trump stands on energy issues

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Pope Francis is not too happy with how humans have treated the Earth.<p><span>On Thursday, the Pope delivered his long-anticipated encyclical on climate change that called on citizens and governments to do their part to leave a lighter footprint.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Following the announcement, the Pope went on an aggressive tweet spree, calling out cultures that encourage consumerism and pollution.</span></p><div><div></div></div><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In the encyclical (a papal letter to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church), the Pope called for global citizens to pressure governments to cut down on waste.</span></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods," the Pope said, </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/world/europe/pope-francis-in-sweeping-encyclical-calls-for-swift-action-on-climate-change.html?_r=0">according to The New York Times</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. "It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day."</span></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>As The New York Times notes, the Pope hopes that the 184-page manifesto on climate change will help put pressure on governments and big businesses to take greater steps to curb emissions and pollution.</span></span></p><p class="embed-spacer">Some political analysts predict that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pope-francis-climate-change-document-2016">the Pope's climate change agenda could cause a headache</a> for some politicians in the US. Some high-profile lawmakers in the US have criticized the Pope for taking positions on issues outside of religion.</p><p>"I don't go to mass for economic policy or for things in <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword>," former Florida Governor Jeb Bush <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pope-francis-climate-change-document-2016">said</a> earlier this week. "I've got another people helping me along the way with that."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wwe-brock-lesnar-facts-wrestling-2015-4">12 awesome facts about WWE superstar Brock Lesnar</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="c0ZDRwdDrYMxli2qszqO2efFg-yz9MeG" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The Pope says Earth looks like 'an immense pile of filth'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I grew up in the US where the educational system was more general. </li><li>I didn't learn about world history or geography, and I was discouraged from pursing my dream job. </li></ul><p>Having grown up over 3,000 miles apart, I am quickly learning the differences between my wife's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-vs-uk-school-writing-styles-education-2023-12">education in the UK</a> and mine in the US.</p><p>I recently married my wife, Kaajal, who was born and raised in London. My education in the suburbs of Pittsburgh emphasized an overview of general subjects, whereas Kaajal narrowed down her desired career through a series of specialized courses and exams.</p><p>Last year, for example, when preparing for a trip to Africa, my then-fiancée witnessed the differences in our education firsthand.</p><p>"I can't find Mozambique in this travel guidebook," I said, puzzled.</p><p>"That's because it's a guidebook for South Africa," Kaajal answered.</p><p>Yes, I thought Mozambique was a city within <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mistakes-tourists-make-south-africa-safari-from-local-expert-2023-11">South Africa</a>. If my wife and I have children, we'll undoubtedly move to the UK for superior academics to better prepare them for a career.</p><h2>It seems the UK prepares students for the real world</h2><p>After passing the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-helps-move-top-uk-private-school-to-ditch-homework-2023-1">GCSE exams in England</a>, my wife was allowed to decide between immediately entering the workforce at age 16 or continuing her high school education to prepare for attending a university. Knowing she wanted to pursue a university degree, Kaajal studied history, computing, math, and biology for her A-level exams.</p><p>There, students choose only three to four preferred subjects to review in the final two years of schooling. More rigorous than the GCSE, the A-level exams help universities identify the leading candidates for their programs.</p><p>In the US, rather than specializing in preferred subjects, the majority of my education consisted of general subjects. In high school, you gain more freedom in your classes each year; however, you're required to continue taking math, science, and English courses throughout most of your education.</p><p>While my wife was focusing on only three chosen subjects to decide on a major in university, I was taking a random statistics course, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wildlife-photography-award-napping-polar-bear-natural-history-museum-2024-2">environmental science</a>, and four study halls. One of my study hall periods concluded my day, so I would join a gym class for fun or slip out to go home.</p><p>A guidance counselor was assigned to me — and hundreds of other students — to pick the few optional courses. When asked what I'd like to study in college, I quickly told my guidance counselor that I wanted to pursue a career in writing. I was told it wouldn't happen due to my average grades and the unlikelihood of success in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-became-writer-while-getting-degree-architecture-2024-1">writing career</a>.</p><p>Over 15 years later, I thankfully found my path to my dream job as a freelance mental health and wellness writer.</p><p>A British education provided my wife with an overview of potential career choices and prepared her for university. My US education discouraged me from my passion and left me with generalized knowledge. I entered a psychology program in college with little idea of my career choices and no anticipation of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donated-my-eggs-to-pay-student-loans-debt-2023-10">student debt</a> to follow.</p><h2>I also learned very little about other cultures and religions</h2><p>I took my first course on world cultures in my master's program as a 22-year-old adult. In the suburbs of Pittsburgh, I was surrounded by primarily white people identifying as Christian. Looking back, I recall one Jewish classmate and two to three non-white students. Courses emphasizing various cultures and religions of the world were truly needed to raise awareness of diversity and increase multicultural respect.</p><p>Meanwhile, in England, my wife and her classmates learned about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/making-new-holiday-traditions-with-wife-and-son-as-atheist-2022-12">cultures and religions</a> throughout the world as early as age 4.</p><h2>Geography is also thoroughly reviewed in the UK</h2><p>History and geography are covered throughout <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-went-to-high-school-in-japan-worth-it-2024-2">US education</a>, starting in elementary school. However, US history and geography are often the primary focus. In the fifth grade, I was expected to memorize all the US states and capitals. I can pinpoint Little Rock, Arkansas, but I recently realized that the European country Estonia exists.</p><p>Similarly to religion, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-mom-in-the-uk-school-system-2021-10">British school system</a> provides a collective overview of world history and geography starting at a young age.</p><p>In my personal experience, the UK education system is significantly better than the US education system in preparing students for their careers, instilling well-rounded cultural experiences, and educating on the world map.</p><p>It's clear to me that my wife was better prepared to be an intelligent adult than I was in the US.</p>

I grew up in the US, while my wife grew up in the UK. She had a better education and now has a better understanding of the world.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I was a funeral director and embalmer for 11 years. </li><li>I learned a lot about our bodies and death by doing my job. </li></ul><p>When I tell people I worked as a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/funeral-etiquette-rules-funeral-directors-wish-you-knew-2023-11">funeral director</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mortician-breaks-down-dead-body-scenes-movies-tv-realism-2021-9">embalmer</a> for 11 years, I'm met with two responses: disgusted fear and excited curiosity. The latter are teeming with questions and are delighted to have an opportunity to ask. Fortunately, I consider it a privilege to educate people about mortuary science.</p><p>While I initially pursued a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teenager-lifelike-extreme-embalming-2018-7">career in embalming</a> because I loved the fusion of art and science, I stayed after discovering a passion for helping the living. By answering questions, I remove <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-stigmatized-properties-rent-buy-cheap-jiko-bukken-2022-7">the stigma</a> and taboo surrounding death and help people make informed decisions. It's the one experience we will all share someday, so we may as well be prepared.</p><h2>A lot of things happen to our bodies after death, but sitting up is not one of them</h2><p>It's possible for a dead body to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/reproductive-health/how-to-put-a-tampon-in">have a tampon inside</a>. The odds are low, considering the typical age for menstruation, the number of days a month someone menstruates, and the likelihood that a seriously ill person may not even have periods. That leaves unexpected or traumatic deaths, and those bodies nearly always have an autopsy. A tampon would be disposed of then. An un-autopsied body would have its tampon removed during the embalming process.</p><p>Brains usually end up in the belly after an autopsy. Returning them to the skull is like trying to put handfuls of Jell-O into a bowl that's tipped on its side. It's messy and impractical. If the brain isn't kept for further investigation, it's placed inside a plastic bag along with the rest of the dissected organs. The bag settles into the chest and abdominal cavities, and then the skin above is sutured together to seal it in.</p><p>You've probably heard someone retell the urban legend, but you should know that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-human-bodies-decay-2016-11">dead bodies</a> don't sit up. Try it yourself: while lying flat on the ground, try to sit up without using your arms or legs. There's no way a corpse could organize that many large muscles and produce the energy required to perform such a feat. Movement is limited to minor twitches around the time of death.</p><p>We must <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/what-is-a-pacemaker">remove pacemakers prior to cremation</a>, or they'll explode, potentially damaging the cremation chamber or injuring the operator. Since the FDA has only approved pacemakers as single-user devices, they're prevented from being reused by other humans in the United States. The devices don't go to waste, though. They're recycled or implanted into dogs.</p><h2>There are options that are environmentally friendly</h2><p>People are not required to wear formal suits in their caskets. Bras aren't mandatory either. There aren't any fixed clothing rules unless your culture or religion dictates otherwise. We dress bodies in the clothing their families provide. If they forgo undergarments, their loved one goes commando for eternity. Embalmers prefer high necklines and long sleeves in case there are conditions to conceal. Otherwise, you do you.</p><p>You don't need to be cremated to be buried at sea in the US. Full casket burials are allowed if you meet certain requirements. The casket must be stainless steel, with all plastic removed, and 20 holes must be drilled to allow flooding and venting. Six durable stainless-steel bands, chains, or natural fiber rope keep it shut, and added ballast helps it sink. A weighted biodegradable shroud may be used instead of a casket. The burial location must be at least three nautical miles from shore at a depth of at least 600 feet. Paperwork must be filed for statistical reasons and to avoid suspicion while dumping a body overboard.</p><p>A good funeral director won't discourage you from exploring green options like natural burial, water cremation, or composting. We accommodate people who want embalming, cremation, or traditional burial, but it's equally important to respect environmentally conscious alternatives. We can strike a balance between honoring the past and protecting the future.</p><h2>Grief is different for everyone</h2><p>Have you heard of the standard stages of grief? Forget them. Grief is highly individual and doesn't follow a prescribed timeline. There's no specific order. You may take one step forward, then two steps back.</p><p>It's also normal to have multiple conflicting emotions simultaneously, like sorrow and joy or relief and guilt. Your experience will vary because of your relationship to the deceased, the nature of the death, your support network, and your cultural or religious background.</p><p>If your grief journey doesn't match everyone else's, don't worry. You're not doing grief "wrong."</p><p><em><span>Louise Pachella is a licensed funeral director and embalmer in Los Angeles, California. She educates the public about dead bodies and funerals in a humorous but respectful way. She is currently writing a blog and several nonfiction books. Learn more at </span></em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hisandhearsepress.com/"><em>www.HisAndHearsePress.com</em></a></p>

I'm a funeral director and embalmer. These are the 8 things everyone gets wrong about what happens after we die. 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dr. <keyword id="6401063" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="gary-fraser" source="Orion">Gary Fraser</keyword> has been examining how drinking milk impacts human health for years.</li><li>Dairy milk is nutrient-rich, but also associated with a greater risk of prostate and breast cancers.</li></ul>For decades, Dr. Gary <keyword id="10068" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="fraser" source="Orion">Fraser</keyword> was a cow milk drinker.<br /><br />A practicing cardiologist with over 50 years of experience, Fraser lives in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/kitchen-tips-cook-eat-like-people-who-live-in-blue-zones-2023-9">longevity</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/kitchen-tips-cook-eat-like-people-who-live-in-blue-zones-2023-9"><u>Blue Zone</u></a> of <keyword id="5862107" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="loma-linda" source="Orion">Loma Linda</keyword>, a <keyword id="6354803" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="los-angeles" source="Orion">Los Angeles</keyword> suburb where Christian <a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11434797/"><u>Seventh Day Adventists often live about a decade longer </u></a>than their fellow Californians.<br /><br />In addition to their religion, Adventists tend to practice regular exercise, and lacto-ovo vegetarianism, eating plenty of veggies, beans, and dairy products — but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/eating-more-red-meat-after-looking-at-cancer-heart-risks-2022-10">less meat</a> — than your average American.<br /><br />Fraser has been interrogating how this religion-based diet and lifestyle impacts human health, longevity, and chronic diseases for decades, studying the eating patterns of nearly 100,000 Seventh Day Adventists scattered across the US and Canada.<br /><br />He discovered, for example, that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/protein-what-is-best-nut-seed-proteins-vs-meat-2018-4"><u>nuts </u></a>—<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/protein-what-is-best-nut-seed-proteins-vs-meat-2018-4"><u> an Adventist diet staple </u></a>—<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/protein-what-is-best-nut-seed-proteins-vs-meat-2018-4"><u>are a more heart-healthy protein</u></a> source than meat. Fraser has also found numerous other ways that <keyword id="1335258" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="adventist" source="Orion">Adventist</keyword> diets contribute to lower rates of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and <a target="_blank" href="https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.32571"><u>even cancer</u></a>.<br /><br />But not <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/blue-zones-loma-linda-vegetarian-diet-community-rest-2023-9"><u>everything the Adventists do</u></a> is science-backed. It wasn't until a couple years ago that Fraser — a lifelong Adventist — reconsidered his own position on drinking milk.<br /><br />Milk hasn't ever been strongly associated with any major heart <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8875110/"><u>issues</u></a>, so Fraser felt pretty good about including the calcium-rich liquid in his diet, as is traditional for Adventists.<br /><br />Now, after digging into the data on prostate and breast cancer rates among Adventist milk drinkers, he says he's reversed course, and essentially eliminated cow's milk from his diet.<br /><br />"It's controversial." Fraser told Insider of his most recent research. "Dairy is obviously complicated in its biological effects."<br /><br /><h2><strong>Fraser stopped drinking milk after he investigated its effects on breast and prostate cancer risk</strong></h2>  <div type="image" title="woman drinking latte" height="1400" width="2100" msid="103673194" hostid="261"></div>Fraser had known for a long time that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/cows-milk-more-nutritious-than-plant-vegan-milk-2023-7"><u>drinking milk does a body good as a major source of calcium</u></a>, which we need for strong bones and <a target="_blank" href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22021-calcium-blood-test"><u>healthy blood</u></a>.<br /><br />But Adventists get plenty of calcium from non-dairy sources. Only about 20% of their calcium comes from milk, cheese, and yogurt. The rest is a mix of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/dan-buettner-blue-zones-lifestyle-habits-diet-exercise-2023-8">beans and other legumes such as lentils</a>, as well as tofu, almonds, seeds, and leafy greens like spinach.<br /><br />Because a good portion of Adventists adhere to a vegan diet, Fraser was able to separate out data on milk drinking from healthful calcium intake, and what he found startled him.<br /><br />According to several recent research studies led by Fraser, dairy milk seems to be associated with a <a target="_blank" href="https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/49/5/1526/5743492"><u>higher risk of breast </u></a>and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/954113"><u>prostate cancer</u></a>.<br /><br />Relatively small quantities of milk, less than three-quarters of a cup a day, made the difference. Whether the milk people drank was whole or skim didn't matter; all dairy milks increased the risk of breast cancer for women, and prostate cancer for men.<br /><br />Being "a guy that likes to crunch numbers," Fraser decided he had to follow his own data and give up milk.<br /><br />"I actually reckon that the best way to go is non-dairy milk," Fraser said. "You've now got some good options — oat and almond and soy and flax, and all kinds of things."<br /><br /><h2><strong>Fraser still eats cheese, a calcium-rich food that is not associated with prostate cancer</strong></h2>  <div type="image" title="Worker wearing an apron carrying a wheel of cheese in a warehouse. He's walking down an aisle between two towering shelves filled with cheese wheels." height="1080" width="1920" msid="103673195" hostid="261"></div>Fraser said he still enjoys some dairy, just not the milk.<br /><br />"I still eat small amounts of cheese," he said.<br /><br />Previous research has suggested the unique way nutrients like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cheese-benefits-for-your-heart-cheese-matrix-2018-8">protein and calcium</a> are structured in cheese doesn't have the same negative health impact as milk. Though he doesn't enjoy yogurt, Fraser says it's also a fine choice, as his data suggests that it won't raise cancer risk like milk does.<br /><br />He's not exactly sure what the mechanism behind the milk-cancer connection is, but he suspects the culprit has something to do with how drinking milk impacts our hormones.<br /><br />There are two leading suspects: the protein in milk, which can up the levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in our bodies, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ceu.ox.ac.uk/news/study-of-almost-400-000-confirms-that-higher-blood-levels-of-igf-1-are-a-risk-factor-for-several-types-of-cancer"><u>contributing to cancer risk</u></a>, or the bovine hormones in the milk itself, from pregnant and lactating cows.<br /><br />"The way you eat really makes a difference to your biology," he said.<br /><br />Still, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-causes-cancer-food-products-that-increase-your-cancer-risk-2018-3">cancer risk is a complicated equation</a> that involves not only what we eat, but environmental factors and our unique genetics.<br /><br />Next, Fraser wants to study how milk drinking impacts human mortality. He's open to the idea that milk consumption may not have that much of an effect on early death, since most breast and prostate cancer diagnoses are survivable conditions.<br /><br />"Dairy's a pretty interesting food," he said.<br /><br />

A 'Blue Zone' heart doctor says he recently stopped drinking milk because of his own research — but he hasn't cut back on cheese

<br /><ul><li><strong>Amid the ongoing row over the reduction of course syllabus for school students, the Union Cabinet Minister <keyword id="60487" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ramesh-Pokhriyal">Ramesh Pokhriyal</keyword> today said that the current debate “resorts to sensationalism by connecting topics selectively to portray a false narrative.”<br /></strong></li><li><strong>The Human Resource and Development Ministry clarified that this is a one-time measure, which is being implemented considering the COVID-19 situation.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>Apart from the political science topics that have been eliminated, Pokhriyal argued that there are a wide range of topics across subjects like biology and maths etc that have been deleted from the syllabus this year. <br /></strong></li><li><strong>Properties of determinants, consistency, inconsistency, and number of solutions of the system of linear equations are some of the mathematics topics that will not be a part of the syllabus this year. </strong></li></ul>Amid the ongoing row over the reduction of course syllabus for school students, the Union Cabinet Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal today said that the current debate “resorts to sensationalism by connecting topics selectively to portray a false narrative.”<br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="DrRPNishank" handlename="Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1250023125191819266/Bx7kBZRg_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2252" retweetcount="363" status="It is our humble request: #Education is our sacred duty towards our children. Let us leave politics out of educatio… https://t.co/ofjlXTpTEz" createdat="1594276338000" id="1281113935685406722"></div><br />The Human Resource and Development Ministry clarified that this is a one-time measure, which is being implemented considering the COVID-19 situation. The schools have been asked to follow the alternate calendar proposed by the NCERT (National Council Of Educational Research And Training). <br /><br />“While it's easy to misconstrue exclusion of 3-4 topics like nationalism, local govt, federalism &amp; build a concocted narrative,a wider perusal of different subjects will show that this is happening across subjects,” the ministry said in a tweet. <br /><br />Apart from the political science topics that have been eliminated, Pokhriyal argued that there are a wide range of topics across subjects like biology and maths etc that have been deleted from the syllabus this year. <br /><br />“The topics excluded in economics include measures of dispersion, balance of payments deficit, etc while topics excluded in physics are heat engine &amp; refrigerator, heat transfer among others,” he tweeted.<br /><br />The course syllabus will no longer have topics such as federalism, nationalism and secularism, environmental chemistry for class 11th while the chapters including India’s relations with the neighboring countries, demonetisation will be eliminated from the class 12th syllabus.<br /><br />The board has also deleted course material on democracy and the challenges, gender and religion, and popular movements in the history for class 10th students, Print <a href="https://theprint.in/india/education/cbse-revises-syllabus-for-class-9-12-axes-chapters-on-indias-foreign-policy-demonetisation/456518/">reported</a>. Properties of determinants, consistency, inconsistency, and number of solutions of the system of linear equations are some of the mathematics topics that will not be a part of the syllabus this year. <br /><br />This comes as the course syllabus for the Central Board of Secondary Education (<keyword id="6356155" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="cbse">CBSE</keyword>) and Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) has been reduced by up to 30%. <br /><br />“The only aim is to relax the stress on students by reducing the syllabus by 30%. This exercise has been carried out following the advice &amp; recommendations of various experts and considering the suggestions received from educationists through our #SyllabusForStudents2020 campaign,” Pokhriyal tweeted.<br /><br />The changes will be implemented from the 2020-21 academic session. <br />

India's Education Minister defends the choice of topics deleted from CBSE syllabus

New Delhi, Apr 18 () COVID-19 will reboot the world into virtual reality and after the crisis, work from home models are likely to continue and business travel is likely to be curtailed as virtual meetings have proved to be just as effective, Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Saturday said.<p> In a blog post, she said mobile and internet banking have also seen a surge since the viral outbreak. The new world order will now become a virtual reality, she added.</p><p> "The seismic events unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic will have a powerful impact on the world we live in, changing it in ways we had never imagined were possible. The economic damage is likely to be unprecedented," Mazumdar-Shaw said.</p><p> The world economy, worth USD 90 trillion at the start of the current financial year, would have lost USD 5 trillion and moved into recession by the time the next financial year starts, she added.</p><p> "COVID-19 is the reboot button that will trigger a system-wide overhaul. A year from now, the world we will live in will be very different. It will impact how we live, how we work, and how we use technology," Mazumdar-Shaw said.</p><p> To quote a recent McKinsey report, "In this unprecedented new reality, we will witness a dramatic restructuring of the economic and social order in which business and society have traditionally operated," she added.</p><p> This COVID-19 outbreak is a lesson that technology has many faces and being besotted with only one application of computational science is dangerous, Mazumdar-Shaw said.</p><p> "For humanity to survive, we will need a multi-disciplinary approach to advancing science and technology, combining biotechnology, biomedical technologies, biological sciences, environmental sciences, etc," she added.</p><p> The novel coronavirus has exposed the huge shortcomings in public healthcare systems, especially in developed countries where they have largely remained static since World War II, she added.</p><p> Mazumdar-Shaw said the governments will have to bring in policies to address essential healthcare infrastructure, strategic reserves of key supplies, and contingency planning for medical equipment, diagnostics, drugs and vaccines.</p><p> "COVID-19 will also cast a long shadow on our social and cultural lives," she added.</p><p> What repercussions these changes will have on the shape of human society only time can tell, Mazumdar-Shaw said.</p><p> The post-COVID-19 world is unlikely to look like the "normal" we have grown accustomed to in the recent years, she added.</p> "Ultimately, the greatest lesson that COVID-19 can teach humanity is that we are all in this together, that what affects a single person anywhere affects everyone everywhere, that as homo sapiens we need to think and act unitedly rather than worrying about race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, economic status, and such artificial groupings," Mazumdar-Shaw said.  AKT  HRS

COVID-19 will reboot world into virtual reality: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Pew Research Center</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Religious Americans say their clergy frequently speak out on hot-button political issues, and sometimes even support or oppose specific political candidates.</p><p>A study from the <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2016/08/08/many-americans-hear-politics-from-the-pulpit/" target="_blank">Pew Researh Center</a> found that nearly two-thirds of Americans who have recently attended religious services have heard their preachers discuss religious liberty, homosexuality, abortion, immigration, environmental issues, or economic inequality. Nearly half say their clergy have discussed multiple issues. </p><p>With so many political issues deeply tied to religious beliefs, that might not be surprising. But the study called attention to something that could be troubling: 14% have heard their preachers speak out in favor of or against a particular candidate. </p><p>Technically, that's against the law. Churches and other tax-exempt organizations are not allowed to back or oppose political candidates, according to a 1954 amendment to the US tax code called the Johnson Amendment. </p><p>The report didn't specify whether clergy supported or opposed candidates while actually in the pulpit, but if they did, their churches could face consequences.</p><p><span>"If a number of clergy got up and endorsed Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump … [and] if the IRS pursued that, it might revoke their tax-exempt status," John Green, <span>a political scientist at the University of Akron and a senior fellow with the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/08/08/black-protestant-clergy-support-oppose-presidential-candidate-pew-report/" target="_blank">told the Washington Post</a>. </span></span></p><p><span><span>However, clergy are free to share their opinions on candidates on their own time, and nonprofit organizations can take positions on issues like poverty and crime. </span></span></p><p><span><span>But under the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/the-restriction-of-political-campaign-intervention-by-section-501-c-3-tax-exempt-organizations">Johnson Amendment</a>, Green said, political speech becomes a problem "<span>when it's a pretty clear endorsement of a candidate."</span></span></span></p><p>The Johnson Amendment itself has long been controversial. The <a href="https://www.gop.com/platform/" target="_blank">2016 GOP platform</a> calls for it to be repealed, and Donald Trump has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/08/11/whats-the-johnson-amendment-that-donald-trump-wants-to-get-rid-of/">pledged to make that happen</a> if he wins in November. Religious liberty advocates have pushed to fight what they believe is a restriction on free speech through initiatives like the Alliance Defending Freedom's Pulpit Initiative.</p><p>"<span>The IRS doesn't feed the hungry. The IRS doesn't comfort the hurting. And the IRS definitely doesn't heal the broken," the initiative's <a href="http://www.adflegal.org/issues/religious-freedom/church/key-issues/pulpit-freedom-sunday">website</a> states. "A pastor's pulpit should be accountable to God alone, and the future of religious freedom in America depends on it."</span></p><p>"<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Pew Research Center</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>But even as it stands, the amendment doesn't appear to be dissuading clergy from expressing support or distaste for this year's candidates.</p><p>This is the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/08/08/black-protestant-clergy-support-oppose-presidential-candidate-pew-report/" target="_blank">first time Pew has asked this type of question</a>, so it's not clear whether clergy are speaking out more or less than in previous years.</p><p>But Claire Markham,<span> Outreach and Campaign Manager for the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative at the Center for American Progress</span>, believes that this particular election could be motivating political speech from the clergy because choosing between Trump and Clinton may seem like a moral choice as well as a political one.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"This is an unusual election," she told Business Insider. "For many of the values at the heart of a number of religious traditions - welcoming strangers, focusing on the vulnerable, a specific care for economic quality - a lot of these issues are discussed seriously by both candidates [in other elections], and I don't think that's happening now."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the survey, more clergy have spoken out in support of Clinton than Trump. This could be partially motivated by black churches, which have a history of being politically active. This election, 29% of black churchgoers heard their clergy express support for a candidate - almost always Clinton. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But even though the Pew study shows that clergy have more often embraced Clinton than Trump, religious conservatives tend to back Trump in part because he has supported policies that promote religious liberty - like repealing the Johnson Amendment. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>"They [the Trump campaign] understand the importance of religious organizations and nonprofits, but religious organizations in particular which is what the Johnson Amendment affects, to have the ability to speak freely, and that they should not live in fear of the IRS," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, <a href="http://time.com/4406567/republican-platform-johnson-amendment-churches-political-organizing/">told TIME</a>. "That is a priority in the platform, and from the Trump folks, it is a priority of the campaign, and will be a priority of the administration."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters/Rick Wilking</span></p><p class="caption">U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters at a campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa Jan. 30, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But whether or not the Johnson Amendment survives, political statements from clergy are likely here to stay.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Churches are unlikely to actually get in trouble with the IRS if their clergy support or oppose a candidate, Markham said, because someone from the church has to complain, and then someone from the Treasury has to instigate an investigation.</span></p><p>"There's a very specific process for enforcement...it's rarely been brought to bear in recent history," she said. </p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anthony Gill, a professor of political science at the University of Washington, believes it's against the interests of clergy to get political.</span></p><p>"That's [supporting a candidate] dangerous for the clergy because if a clergy member endorses a candidate who turns out to be corrupt or tainted somehow, their reputation is diminished as well," he told Business Insider. "A number of evangelicals run this risk with Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton - if anything comes out that these people are less than upstanding politicians, their endorsement is going to affect their reputation as well."</p><p>And especially in places where churches play prominent roles, clergy could have a great deal of influence on their communities' votes. </p><p>"Clergy tend to be individuals who cultivate a lot of trustworthiness," Gill said. "It's not surprising that people look to clergy for advice in the practical world."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/president-obama-responds-donald-trump-rigged-election-2016-8">'I don't even really know where to start on answering this question': Watch President Obama respond to Trump's claim that the election will be rigged</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="g4cjc1NTE6TDiWhcwYdxQ6hzy7sXexl0" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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