"Using the Flesch reading-ease test, researchers found that readability scores in humanities and social sciences plunged from 37 in the 1940s to 18 in the 2020s".

According to Wikipedia, a score of 37 is about the middle of the range "College; Difficult to read". And a score of 18 is about the middle of the range "College graduate Very difficult to read. Best understood by university graduates".

"50.0–30.0 College Difficult to read.
30.0–10.0 College graduate Very difficult to read. Best understood by university graduates".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Does "The Economist" believe that scientific papers are aimed at a readership that has not graduated from college?

"In the Census Bureau’s most recent 2022 findings, the percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher remained stable from the previous year at around 37.7%".
https://www.collegetransitions...

Well, go on then. We are waiting to hear the facts from you.

Whereas when coal, oil, or gas is burned the carbon is magically annihilated?

Ah yes, that is the problem! China is way ahead in technology because it steals other people's. Er...

Recognisable, no doubt, by their complete lack of citations or supporting evidence.

By the way, where is yours?

I hope you enjoy your trip up the Nile. But watch out for Chinese crocodiles!

My! Just imagine what that would do to Microsoft, for instance...

Would it extend as far as the worthless manager's worthless manager? And so on... Like rm -rf /?

All these sanctions and tariffs come oddly from people who are always expatiating about the marvels of free market capitalism and free trade.

That turns out not to be the case. Certainly exercise is valuable; it will keep or make you healthy. But to lose weight - or even to stop gaining weight - you must eat right.

Luckily, that's very simple indeed. Eat plenty of fresh, fatty meat from animals that lived out of doors on grass or in woodlands. If you like, eat also eggs, fish, poultry, green leafy vegetables and a little fruit. Dairy is probably good, but some scientists disagree. Avoid carbohydrates like the plague.

That's it.

The main reason for the overweight epidemic is government advice. Too many poor trusting people believed what the government told them about food: eschew meat and fat, eat "healthy whol grains" and vegetable oils. A recipe for sickness, unhappiness, and early death.

If that concerns you,

1. Get a good book on English grammar, study it, and apply it.

2. Read the classics of English literature, from Dr Johnson and Gibbon to Kingsley Amis and Gore Vidal. You will gradually soak up the habits of good, clear writing.

Good grief! What are you guys eating?

Perhaps I should add that in a culture that values money and celebrity above all else, and in which many people have ceased to believe that there is such a thing as objective truth, science has an uphill course to run.

I have always trusted science - with the natural proviso that as it is never "settled", it can be wrong.

I do not trust twisters and con men who exploit people's belief in science to swindle them. You all know who they are.

The number cited was 3888.9% , not 3988.9%.

"Intel's Linux kernel test robot has reported a 3888.9% performance improvement in the mainline Linux kernel as of this past week..."

Or, in normal language everyone can immediately understand, a 38-odd times improvement. Why the insane urge to express everything in percentages? It's almost as bad as using microfortnights instead of seconds.