⤴⤵ Up Wing/Down Wing #24

A curated selection of pro-progress and anti-progress news items from the week that was

In case you missed it .. .

🐝⚛ Bees 1, Mark Zuckerberg's nuclear plans 0 (Monday)

🗽 The America we have, the America we could have (Tuesday)

🆙 An Up Wing Trump agenda: what's realistic? (Thursday)

🌎 My Q&A with Francis Fukuyama on technological change and liberal democracy. Some sci-fi, too! (Friday)

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Up Wing Things

🏭 Deep in MAGA territory, immigrants revitalized a manufacturing town. The carpet industry in Dalton, Georgia, has thrived thanks to an immigrant (predominantly Latino) workforce. Originally facing outsourcing threats, Dalton’s mills embraced local production, with Latinos now forming over half the population and workforce. This shift has led to economic revitalization, low unemployment, and rising incomes. Dalton’s industry offers workforce development programs for immigrant employees, promoting advancement from entry-level roles to management. Despite local political opposition to immigration, many residents view Dalton’s cultural diversity and economic resilience as a testament to immigration’s positive impact. Other industries, such as solar panel manufacturing, have also been drawn to the area’s skilled labor pool​. (Bberg)

🧬 Gene-edited livestock and crops are more adaptable to climate change. CRISPR technology is increasingly being used to develop climate-resilient crops and livestock, aiding adaptation to climate change. Pioneered by Jennifer Doudna, CRISPR enables precise gene edits, like creating shorter, heat-tolerant cattle coats and modifying crop genes for drought resistance and carbon sequestration. Regulatory changes in the US support CRISPR-edited products that mimic natural mutations, streamlining market access. Researchers are also exploring methane-reducing modifications for cattle to lessen greenhouse gas emissions. Proponents see this trend as essential for a sustainable food supply in a changing climate​. (MIT)

💉 GLP-1 drugs are an economic miracle as well as a health one. New GLP-1 drugs, including the popularized semaglutide, could revolutionize weight loss, potentially reducing obesity-related diseases and saving billions globally. Analysts project positive economic impacts such as decreased healthcare costs, reduced food consumption, and fuel savings:

Costs such as these account for more than 2% of global gross domestic product (GDP), according to a 2022 report on obesity rates in 161 countries. If the rate of obesity increase was suddenly slowed by 5% relative to current trends, the report found, countries would save more than $429 billion each year between 2020 and 2060.

GLP-1 drugs may help address health disparities, benefiting Black and Hispanic populations who face higher obesity rates. However, moral hazards like reduced exercise could offset benefits. While affordability is a presenting issue, governments and organizations are starting to push for lower costs, with economic models showing a promising future with the drug’s usage. (Nature)

🤖 Robots improve work in nursing homes. Robot adoption in Japanese nursing homes increases employment and staff retention rather than reducing jobs. When robots handle routine tasks, care workers shift to more empathetic "human touch" activities. Different robot types (monitoring, mobility, transfer) complement different worker roles. Quality of care improves with robot use, shown by fewer pressure ulcers and less restraint use. The effects are strongest when monitoring robots are paired with nonregular care workers. “Our paper, to the best of our knowledge, is the first to investigate the relationship between different robots employed within an organization and the specific tasks they perform, their interactions with users, and ultimately, how staffing and productivity change with robot adoption.” (NBER)