January Archive

New Head of UN Population Division

Marcus Roberts | 30 January 2013

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs has appointed a new head for its Population Division.

Fetal health not only a female affair

Shannon Roberts | 29 January 2013

While most people are used to considering the female ticking body clock, we tend to think that men have a lot more time. Though true is one sense, if we want healthy babies maybe they too should be considering the age factor. An interesting article in the New Republic highlights this issue among many others associated with the rising age of parents – it’s well worth a read.

Fewer Girls = A More Violent World

Marcus Roberts | 27 January 2013

More on gendercide in India and China.

Humanity is a “plague”: Attenborough

Marcus Roberts | 23 January 2013

Sir David Attenborough has labelled humanity a "plague". Charming.

An Asian population spike

Shannon Roberts | 21 January 2013

In Taiwan, between January and September 2012, births were up 14.5 percent versus the same period in 2011. Vietnam saw an additional 61,375 babies born in the first five months of 2012—a spike of 13.5 percent from the previous year. Similar statistics are not yet available for China, but a dip in the birthrate in 2011—a mere rabbit year—suggests that couples may have been postponing procreation, says the University of North Carolina demographer Cai Yong (whose own dragon baby was born last February).

USA - An Unhealthy Nation?

Marcus Roberts | 17 January 2013

A new report details the USA's depressing health statistics.

Happy New Year!

Marcus Roberts | 16 January 2013

Happy New Year! And a story about diabetes, China and the womb.

China’s ‘little emperors’ less entrepreneurial

Shannon Roberts | 13 January 2013

A recently released Australian study has shown some interesting psychological effects of China’s one child policy introduced in 1979; effects which could have economic consequences for China. The study "Little Emperors: Behavioral Impacts of China's One-Child Policy", was published in the journal “Science” and involved 421 Beijing residents born between 1975 and 1983.

The real reason for Putin’s US adoption ban?

Carolyn Moynihan | 10 January 2013

Russian President Vladimir Putin upset a lot of Americans with his December 28 (feast of the Holy Innocents) ban on adoptions to the US -- at the same time ordering his government to take a range of steps to make it easier for Russians to adopt orphans.