President Trump and his appointees have repeatedly stressed the need to establish “American energy dominance.”  But the White House’s profusion of executive orders and aggressive tariffs, along with its determined effort to roll back clean-energy policies, are moving the industry in the wrong direction, creating market chaos and economic uncertainty that are making it harder for both legacy players and emerging companies to invest, grow, and compete. Heat Exchange MIT Technology Review’s guest opinion series, offering expert commentary on legal, political and regulatory issues related to climate change and clean energy. You can read the rest of the pieces here. The current 90-day pause on rolling out most of the administration’s so-called “reciprocal” tariffs presents a critical opportunity. Rather than defaulting to broad, blunt tariffs, the administration should use this window to align trade policy with a focused industrial strategy—one aimed at winning the global race to become a manufacturing powerhouse in next-generation energy technologies.  By tightly aligning tariff design with US strengths in R&D and recent government investments in the energy innovation lifecycle, the administration can turn a regressive trade posture into a proactive plan for economic growth and geopolitical advantage. The president is right to point out that America is blessed with world-leading energy resources. Over the past decade, the country has grown from being a net importer to a net exporter of oil and the world’s largest producer of oil and gas. These resources are undeniably crucial to America’s ability to reindustrialize and rebuild a resilient domestic industrial base, while also providing strategic leverage abroad.  But the world is slowly but surely moving beyond the centuries-old model of extracting and burning fossil fuels, a change driven initially by climate risks but increasingly by economic opportunities. America will achieve true energy dominance only by evolving beyond being a mere exporter of raw, greenhouse-gas-emitting energy commodities—and becoming the world’s manufacturing and innovation hub for sophisticated, high-value energy technologies. Notably, the nation took a lead role in developing essential early components of the cleantech sector, including solar photovoltaics and electric vehicles. Yet too often, the fruits of that innovation—especially manufacturing jobs and export opportunities—have ended up overseas, particularly in China. China, which is subject to Trump’s steepest tariffs and wasn’t granted any reprieve in the 90-day pause, has become the world’s dominant producer of lithium-ion batteries, EVs, wind turbines, and other key components of the clean-energy transition. Today, the US is again making exciting strides in next-generation technologies, including fusion energy, clean steel, advanced batteries, industrial heat pumps, and thermal energy storage. These advances can transform industrial processes, cut emissions, improve air quality, and maximize the strategic value of our fossil-fuel resources. That means not simply burning them for their energy content, but instead using them as feedstocks for higher-value materials and chemicals that power the modern economy. The US’s leading role in energy innovation didn’t develop by accident. For several decades, legislators on both sides of the political divide supported increasing government investments into energy innovation—from basic research at national labs and universities to applied R&D through ARPA-E and, more recently, to the creation of the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, which funds first-of-a-kind technology deployments. These programs have laid the foundation for the technologies we need—not just to meet climate goals, but to achieve global competitiveness. Early-stage companies in competitive, global industries like energy do need extra support to help them get to the point where they can stand up on their own. This is especially true for cleantech companies whose overseas rivals have much lower labor, land, and environmental compliance costs. That’s why, for starters, the White House shouldn’t work to eliminate federal investments made in these sectors under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, as it’s reportedly striving to do as part of the federal budget negotiations. Instead, the administration and its Republican colleagues in Congress should preserve and refine these programs, which have already helped expand America’s ability to produce advanced energy products like batteries and EVs. Success should be measured not only in barrels produced or watts generated, but in dollars of goods exported, jobs created, and manufacturing capacity built. The Trump administration should back this industrial strategy with smarter trade policy as well. Steep, sweeping tariffs won’t  build long-term economic strength.  But there are certain instances where reasonable, modern, targeted tariffs can be a useful tool in supporting domestic industries or countering unfair trade practices elsewhere. That’s why we’ve seen leaders of both parties, including Presidents Biden and Obama, apply them in recent years. Such levies can be used to protect domestic industries where we’re competing directly with geopolitical rivals like China, and where American companies need breathing room to scale and thrive. These aims can be achieved by imposing tariffs on specific strategic technologies, such as EVs and next-generation batteries. But to be clear, targeted tariffs on a few strategic sectors are starkly different from Trump’s tariffs, which now include 145% levies on most Chinese goods, a 10% “universal” tariff on other nations and 25% fees on steel and aluminum.  Another option is implementing a broader border adjustment policy, like the Foreign Pollution Fee Act recently reintroduced by Senators Cassidy and Graham, which is designed to create a level playing field that would help clean manufacturers in the US compete with heavily polluting businesses overseas.   Just as important, the nation must avoid counterproductive tariffs on critical raw materials like steel, aluminum, and copper or retaliatory restrictions on critical minerals—all of which are essential inputs for US manufacturing. The nation does not currently produce enough of these materials to meet demand, and it would take years to build up that capacity. Raising input costs through tariffs only slows our ability to keep or bring key industries home. Finally, we must be strategic in how we deploy the country’s greatest asset: our workforce. Americans are among the most educated and capable workers in the world. Their time, talent, and ingenuity shouldn’t be spent assembling low-cost, low-margin consumer goods like toasters. Instead, we should focus on building cutting-edge industrial technologies that the world is demanding. These are the high-value products that support strong wages, resilient supply chains, and durable global leadership. The worldwide demand for clean, efficient energy technologies is rising rapidly, and the US cannot afford to be left behind. The energy transition presents not just an environmental imperative but a generational opportunity for American industrial renewal. The Trump administration has a chance to define energy dominance not just in terms of extraction, but in terms of production—of technology, of exports, of jobs, and of strategic influence. Let’s not let that opportunity slip away. Addison Killean Stark is the chief executive and cofounder of AtmosZero, an industrial steam heat pump startup based in Loveland, Colorado. He was previously a fellow at the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E division, which funds research and development of advanced energy technologies.

I tried 35 spring products from Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's, Abanti Chowdhury/BI Updated 2025-04-17T18:09:18Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? I tried the seasonal foods at Trader Joe's for the spring and reviewed them. The coffee creme Joe-Joe's and Meyer lemon cookies were both delicious and adorable.  The chain's cheese-filled fiocchetti and taco salad kit are both good entrée options. Trader Joe's stocks its shelves with a variety of seasonal products every spring.So, I've been trying the spring offerings from my local store as part of an ongoing series where I review the grocery chain's seasonal foods. Keep reading to see which items I'll be stocking up on and which I'll skip. Editor's Note: This post was originally published in April 2021. Although many seasonal spring foods return, item availability is subject to change.The cheese blintzes would make a perfect addition to any brunch table I was excited to try these blintzes. Savanna Swain-Wilson A blintz is a popular breakfast treat that's essentially a lightly sweetened pancake wrapped around a cheese or fruit filling. They're often associated with Shavuot, a springtime holiday celebrated in the Jewish faith, but are also popular throughout parts of Eastern Europe.I picked up a package of four pastries in the frozen section at Trader Joe's. Although the product doesn't come with toppings, its box features a picture with whipped cream and fruit, so I followed suit to get the full experience. This was my first time trying blintzes, and I mostly enjoyed them. They tasted like a traditional crepe, and I appreciated that their light sweetness became more noticeable with the berries.  I didn't love the cottage cheese filling. Savanna Swain-Wilson However, I don't love the texture of cottage cheese, so I was a little turned off by the filling. VERDICT: Overall, the blintzes were decent, but they weren't my favorite. The fruit and whipped cream certainly elevated them, but I had trouble getting over the texture. But if you're a cottage cheese fan or like a versatile breakfast, these will probably be right up your alley. The gluten-free coffee cake muffins were incredible I was surprised by how big each muffin was. Savanna Swain-Wilson The most noticeable thing about these muffins was their size — compared to a standard version, these were gigantic.Each treat sported that signature coffee cake look with a ribbon-like swirl of cinnamon on the bottom, which was dense and sturdy, yet also slightly crumbly. The tops were adorned with a dusting of sprinkles. These muffins were surprisingly moist and delicate. Savanna Swain-Wilson I'm usually wary of gluten-free pastries because of their tendency to be either super dry or way too dense and crumbly, but these muffins were surprisingly moist and delicate, with a lightly sweet flavor that made them suitable for an early morning bite. When paired with a cup of coffee, the cinnamon flavor really popped.VERDICT: Although I can't see myself buying these muffins all the time, I will absolutely be hitting up Trader Joe's for these when I'm craving a sweet breakfast or having guests over. The oven-baked cheese bites would be great in soup or on their own These cheese bites from Trader Joe's are gluten free. Savanna Swain-Wilson If you ever wanted to know what spaghetti would taste like in snack form, this is your answer. And as strange as that might sound, this item is absolutely worth buying.Basically, these gluten-free bites are dehydrated, aged cheese with a few added seasonings. Like any good snack, these morsels delivered in crunch, and I gave them bonus points for their airiness that gifted each bite with a crispy, melt-in-your-mouth quality. These bites had a good kick to them. Savanna Swain-Wilson What made these a real standout, however, was the zesty chili and tomato flavor that came through with each bite. VERDICT: 10/10. I'm obsessed. The vegan taco salad was delicious Each bag contains iceberg lettuce, blue tortilla strips, corn salsa, and chipotle seasoned seitan. Savanna Swain-Wilson Each vegan taco salad kit contains iceberg lettuce, blue tortilla strips, corn salsa, and chipotle-seasoned seitan.The Chipotle seitan made this mix a filling meal on its own and gave it a necessary layer of savory flavor, which is crucial in salads with a limited amount of dressing. This seitan wasn't dry or soggy, and though I couldn't really detect the chipotle flavor, it was still seasoned enough to have that taco meat taste. It was like a toned-down version of the chain's soy chorizo. This meal was so easy to throw together. Savanna Swain-Wilson Trader Joe's also nailed the salad dressing. It didn't have a weird artificial taste, and the only downside was that there wasn't more of it.VERDICT: With the mix of textures, super filling seitan, and tasty dressing, this salad is a must-buy for anyone looking to spice up their lunches.The lemon bars tasted homemade These lemon bars are in Trader Joe's frozen section. Savanna Swain-Wilson Chocolate is great and all, but nothing screams springtime like a yummy lemon bar.There was no mistaking the presence of real lemon in these — as soon as I opened the box, I noticed a sweet citrus aroma.I let these lemon bars defrost on my counter for an hour before tasting them, and I'm not sure I'll ever attempt baking this dessert on my own again — they were out of this world. I would never have known these bars were frozen and store bought. Savanna Swain-Wilson Had I not purchased this dessert myself, I never would have guessed it came from the freezer section. Each bar had a scrumptious, fresh taste, so it could easily pass as homemade.The combination of vanilla shortbread with the bright, citrusy lemon curd and a dusting of powdered sugar was absolutely divine. But these stood out for their texture — they had a perfect level of chewiness with an impressively buttery crust despite being frozen.VERDICT: I apologize in advance to anyone who lives near me and wants to try these lemon bars because I might be buying them all the next time I hit up Trader Joe's.These peanut-shaped chocolates were fun and creative These bites were so good, they could have passed as artisan candies. Savanna Swain-Wilson In my opinion, all chocolate tastes better when it comes in a cute shape, and these peanut-like candies were proof of that.Plus, they had just the right ratio of high-quality chocolate exterior to creamy peanut butter filling. Each bite was so melt-in-your-mouth delicious that the treats could have passed for something I'd buy at a specialty candy shop.  I will definitely be buying these again. Savanna Swain-Wilson The texture really won me over, as each piece had an added layer of rice cereal under the coating for extra crunch.VERDICT: To say I loved this candy would be an understatement.The dark chocolate plantain chips are a great springtime treat I was excited to try the dark chocolate plantain chips. Savanna Swain-Wilson Crunchy, salty, and slightly sweet, these plantain chips were everything I'd been craving.I appreciated how Trader Joe's didn't go overboard with the chocolate coating and opted for a light drizzle. Plantains already have a natural fruity sweetness, so they only need a touch of cocoa flavor to highlight their sugary notes. The dark chocolate was the perfect topping. Savanna Swain-Wilson Although I thought these plantain chips were tasty, I'm not sure I would rate them above the jerk-style variety, as I was over these after a few bites. VERDICT: Overall, I'd say these chips are a must-buy for anyone who loves the combination of dark chocolate with salty flavors. I can also see them making a superb sweet addition to any snack platter.I fell in love with the tasty filling in the lemon and ricotta ravioli This lemon and ricotta option is my new favorite Trader Joe's ravioli. Savanna Swain-Wilson My longtime favorite Trader Joe's ravioli is the Caprese one, but after trying this lemon version, I'm not so sure. The ravioli cooked in less than 10 minutes, making it an excellent quick dinner option.In the interest of tasting the ravioli in its purest form, I coated the dish in just olive oil, salt, pepper, and Parmesan.When I took a bite, I noticed the filling was super smooth and had a pleasantly fresh flavor to it. The delicate hints of lemon provided a needed contrast to the ricotta's sweetness to make it less rich than the standard cheese-stuffed ravioli. The meal tasted amazing without a heavy sauce. Savanna Swain-Wilson I also loved that I didn't feel heavy after eating this meal, which almost never happens with cheesy pasta.VERDICT: It's safe to say this ravioli will be my new go-to weeknight dinner this spring.The almond-butter almonds make a perfect snack I was a little skeptical about the almond-on-almond combo. Savanna Swain-Wilson With a super smooth coating and lightly salted nutty interior, these almond-butter almonds tasted like candy.Super creamy and sweet, with subtle notes of cocoa and vanilla, the almond-butter coating was so yummy I could have eaten it by the spoonful.VERDICT: Almond on top of almond might sound like a bit much, but it proved to be an excellent choice. These bites were delicious. I hope Trader Joe's keeps them around, but I'll stock up just in case.These crispy mushrooms were a bit of an acquired taste I don't think I'll buy more of these. Savanna Swain-Wilson I love mushrooms, but when I saw these snacks at Trader Joe's, I raised an eyebrow.I wasn't sure what to expect from these, but at a glance, they didn't look super appetizing — more like overcooked mushrooms than anything else.Appearance aside, these were a decent savory snack. They tasted like nothing I'd ever eaten, so I gave Trader Joe's credit for creativity. According to the package description, the mushrooms are lightly salted, dried, and tossed in sunflower oil, so their natural umami taste stood out because it wasn't competing with too many seasonings.Their texture made them a memorable snack, as they had a light, crispy exterior like a chip and a slightly chewy inside like a cooked mushroom.VERDICT: The crispy mushrooms are worth trying at least once, but I don't think I'd buy them again.The cheese-filled fiocchetti with pink sauce was good, but not mind-blowing This meal can be made in one pan. Savanna Swain-Wilson Just as the package suggested, the fiocchetti cooked to an optimal tenderness in less than 10 minutes, but the sauce didn't really look quite right.Even though I measured the water and oil according to the instructions, the mix looked much thinner and less pink than advertised. Despite its light-orange hue, I still gave it a chance. The sauce came out a bit too runny. Savanna Swain-Wilson I generally enjoyed the pasta component of the dish, but the sauce left much to be desired. I thought it desperately needed more tomato and garlic flavors. It's possible I watered it down during the cooking process, but even so, the flavor wasn't as bold as I anticipated, and it came out so thin that it seemed more like a lightly seasoned broth than a sauce.I set aside some leftovers in the fridge and noticed the next day that the sauce had thickened slightly. VERDICT: Overall, I'd say this pasta is a great vegetarian entrée to add to your weeknight repertoire.Although the dish's flavors were quite mellow, the meal could easily be upgraded with a few extra ingredients, like red pepper flakes and more cheese, so I'm willing to buy this one again. The pink and white shortbread cookies would make a great addition to any picnic These cookies hit me with a wave of nostalgia. Savanna Swain-Wilson With their cute floral shape, colorful yogurt coating, and adorable rainbow sprinkles, these cookies were pretty much impossible for me to dislike.They tasted just like the frosted circus animal cookies I was obsessed with growing up. My fellow '90s babies will know what I'm talking about, as one bite of these Trader Joe's cookies instantly transported me to my childhood.  The yogurt coating was creamy and delicious. Savanna Swain-Wilson In terms of texture, they were of comparable thickness to graham crackers with a familiar, crumby feel.Most of all, I enjoyed that these cookies were sweet but not overwhelmingly sugary. The yogurt coating was super smooth and contained subtle notes of vanilla that didn't taste artificial.VERDICT: I can picture serving these cookies as a treat at brunch or an outdoor picnic with friends. They'd also make a great decorative addition to an ice cream sundae. Perfect for kids and adults who want a hit of nostalgia, these cookies are worth buying again. The Meyer lemon cookies would make a scrumptious springtime treat These cookies had the perfect amount of citrusy tang. Savanna Swain-Wilson The first thing that came to mind when I opened this box of cookies was afternoon tea. With their pale yellow color and paper-thin texture, they were practically designed to be consumed off a pretty pastel colored plate atop some doilies.These cookies had a delightfully airy quality and nice crisp that crumbled in my mouth with every bite. These cookies also didn't taste artificial. Savanna Swain-Wilson As a fan of all things citrus, I appreciated that the tangy flavor was detectable but not artificial tasting. They also had a slightly floral quality, which probably came from the use of Meyer lemons.Either way, they were absolutely delicious.VERDICT: If you're searching for a super light sweet treat to munch on, look no further than these Meyer lemon cookies.I couldn't get enough of the candy-coated almonds I loved the pastel colors. Savanna Swain-Wilson With their slightly crunchy, colorful shell, these candy-coated almonds look a lot like Cadbury's mini eggs. They were also delicious.The coating offered a yummy crunch that regular chocolate-covered almonds can't compete with. Plus, I loved the pastel colors.The chocolate layer was pleasantly smooth, and the almond center gave these treats dimension and a yummy, nutty flavor.VERDICT: As someone who frequently craves chocolate, these springtime almonds are a must-have.This blood orange cake mix made a delicious loaf, but I wasn't impressed by the icing Trader Joe's blood orange cake was easy to prepare. Savanna Swain-Wilson I've never thought to use blood oranges for anything beyond cocktails, so I was excited to try this mix. The moment I started mixing the ingredients, I caught a strong whiff of the bold, citrus aroma, and the batter was bright orange. Like most boxed cake mixes, this came together with just a few ingredients and under an hour of bake time. It also included a packet of icing, which saved me even more time. The cake itself was yummy. Savanna Swain-Wilson On its own, this cake was awesome. The blood orange flavor was pronounced, offering a unique profile that was noticeably more tart than sweet. Its texture was dense yet tender and moist, like a pound cake. However, I found the icing tasted too much like candy. It was sweet with a seemingly artificial flavor. Next time, I'll try topping it with my own cream cheese frosting and blood orange zest. VERDICT: Buy the cake mix, but ditch the icing — it doesn't need it.These lemon madeleines were sweet and delicious I thought Trader Joe's madeleines were a fair price. Savanna Swain-Wilson These fluffy tea cakes were sweet, buttery, and delicious. The lemon zest flavor was very subtle yet detectable.They're dainty, which made them suitable for early mornings when I wasn't quite ready for a full meal. The flavor was comparable to a classic vanilla pound cake, with just the slightest kiss of lemon. The firm yet spongy texture would be ideal for dipping in hot coffee or tea. VERDICT: As someone who often craves light sweets in the morning, these lemon zest madeleines hit the spot. I'll gladly be buying a couple more packages before the season ends.Fans of spinach would really enjoy this frozen Florentine lasagna I had never tried Florentine lasagna before. Savanna Swain-Wilson Based on the box, I assumed this lasagna would be loaded with Italian flavors, but I later learned that Florentine is actually a French cooking term that refers to a dish with cooked spinach and a cheesy, creamy sauce.I was excited about this dish since it's vegetarian, serves more than one person, and doesn't require any actual prep work — just patience. It took about an hour to bake in the oven. Savanna Swain-Wilson Per the instructions, you can heat this in the microwave in two six-minute intervals, but I opted to bake mine in the oven for just under an hour. The aroma of garlic, herbs, and cheese filled my entire apartment while this cooked, which was reason enough to give this a solid rating. The texture was quite soupy. Savanna Swain-Wilson However, spinach has a high water content, which was evident the moment I cut into this lasagna. It looked more like a cheesy soup with pasta. So, getting any kind of square slice was impossible. I used a spoon to scoop it onto my plate.If you really dig cooked spinach, you'll probably enjoy this. The bitter, metallic green tasted great with the creamy, sweet ricotta. I also appreciated that Trader Joe's included Parmesan in the cheese blend — which added a nice balance of salt — and a ton of flavorful dried herbs and garlic.VERDICT: Although the Florentine lasagna offered a lot of fragrant, cheesy flavor, its lengthy cook time and sloppy texture kept it from being as good as possible. Trader Joe's Springle Jangle was just OK

From 2017 to 2020, meat-free sausages and veggie burgers had a moment. Sales of plant-based meat doubled thanks to new startups — like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods — which collectively took billions of dollars in venture capital investment and invented much more meaty vegetarian products than their predecessors.The emerging sector was hailed as a potential silver bullet solution to the ills of factory farming: animal suffering, climate change, deforestation, and more.This story was first featured in the Processing Meat newsletterSign up here for Future Perfect’s biweekly newsletter from Marina Bolotnikova and Kenny Torrella, exploring how the meat and dairy industries shape our health, politics, culture, environment, and more.Have questions or comments on this newsletter? Email us at futureperfect@vox.com!But in the years that followed, the sector’s sales flatlined and then tumbled. What killed plant-based meat’s growth spurt? According to consumer surveys, often the biggest reason people give for souring on plant-based meat is that the products don’t taste good enough. But the results of a surprising recent experiment casts some doubt on that explanation — and suggests some of the distaste for plant-based meat might just be in our heads.In December and January, NECTAR — a nonprofit that conducts research on “alternative protein,” such as plant-based meat — brought together nearly 2,700 people in a first- and largest-of-its-kind blind taste test. Without knowing which version they were tasting, the participants tried 122 plant-based meat products across 14 categories, like burgers, hot dogs, and bacon, alongside one animal meat “benchmark” product per category. Each product was tested by at least 100 participants, who then rated them on texture, flavor, appearance, and overall enjoyment on a 7-point scale from “dislike very much” to “like very much.”NECTAR wanted to “truly know where things stand today and where we need to focus effort for improvement for the future,” said Caroline Cotto, the organization’s director. “We’re sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly.”First, the bad news for the plant-based meat industry: Animal meats got far higher scores on all metrics. On average, 68 percent of participants rated the animal meat products as “like very much” or “like,” while only 30 percent of plant-based meat, on average, received the same ratings. But among plant-based meat products, there’s a wide spectrum of quality. Some, as I’ve written about, are downright terrible, a fact reflected in the NECTAR results with some categories receiving especially low enjoyment ratings. But for 20 of the plant-based products, half or more of the participants rated them higher than the animal version or rated the two equally, meaning they had no preference. Of the 20 highest-rated plant-based products, six came from one company: Impossible Foods. Impossible Foods’ unbreaded chicken fillet performed best out of the 122 plant-based meat products, with 32 percent of participants rating it higher than a (real) unbreaded chicken fillet from Perdue Farms, while 28 percent rated them equally. Past blind plant-based meat taste tests have also found mixed results. A 2023 blind study with 175 participants found the Impossible burger performed better than a beef burger (though as some have pointed out, the plant-based burger had far more added salt than the beef version). In a 2021 blind study, meanwhile, participants rated real chicken considerably higher than five plant-based chicken products, though the study didn’t list which products were tested and the sector’s offerings have improved significantly since then.Given how many participants in NECTAR’s experiment rated some plant-based meats as equal to or better than animal meat, we might expect these meatless products to be much more popular than they actually are — especially in light of the many strong arguments in favor of reducing meat consumption, such as personal health, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare. Yet plant-based meat accounts for around just 1 percent of overall meat sales. To reach more consumers, plant-based meat companies will need to do something harder than improving the taste of their products or even lowering their prices. They’ll need to change how we think about meat.How our mind plays tricks on our stomach In the real world, “people don’t just taste food in an objective way,” Daniel Rosenfeld, a behavioral scientist at the University of California Los Angeles who researches consumer perceptions of animal-free foods, told me. They taste it, he said, with “a bias or a preconceived expectation.” For example, research has found that people who perceive healthy food to be less delicious will rate a food as less delicious if they’re told ahead of time that it’s healthy — even if it’s not. A blind taste test participant rates meatballs in a spaghetti dish. NECTAR/Palate InsightsIn 2023, Rosenfeld co-authored a study finding that people who more strongly believed in humans’ right to eat meat, milk, and eggs were more likely to expect vegan burgers and ice cream to taste bad.Not only do our beliefs shape how we perceive food, but what we eat can also shape our beliefs. In a seminal 2010 study, researchers assigned participants to two groups: one was given cashews and the other beef jerky, and both filled out surveys on what they thought of the snacks. Afterward, they were asked to fill out another survey about the moral status of 27 different animal species, with additional pointed questions about the cognitive capacity and moral status of what they thought was a randomly selected species from the list: cows. Those who had eaten the beef jerky rated cows as much less deserving of moral concern compared to those who ate the cashews.Some plant-based meat advocates argue the industry needs to focus on improving the price, taste, and convenience — commonly referred to as “PTC” — of meatless products to help them go mainstream. Rosenfeld doesn’t disagree that these are critical factors, but he also said psychological and social factors, such as societal norms and familiarity bias, also highly influence our food choices. That could explain some of the large gap between consumer preferences in blind taste tests and consumer purchasing behavior. “When social norms with a product get set in place, it’s pretty hard to change that default,” he said. “People like to just do whatever is a popular option. We’re very conformist by nature,” and animal meat is society’s current default protein source.One of the most powerful social norms that determine meat consumption turns out to be gender. “Compared to women, men report that they like meat more. They’re less likely to go vegetarian or vegan, and they also are less concerned about the effects of meat harming the environment or their health” or animal welfare, Rosenfeld said.The best plant-based meat productsThese are some of the 20 products that were rated higher or equal to their animal meat benchmarks:• Unbreaded chicken fillet: Impossible Foods, Meati, SWAP, The Vegetarian Butcher, Vivera• Chicken nugget: Impossible Foods, MorningStar Farms• Burger: Beyond Meat, Huera, Impossible Foods, MorningStar Farms, Redefine Meat• Breakfast sausage: Gardein, Impossible FoodsSee the full list here.In consumer surveys, people also cite price as an important factor in their decision to avoid buying plant-based meat, though it ranks slightly below taste. Surprisingly, however, NECTAR found that plant-based meat’s price tag — often much higher than animal meat — had a fairly small effect on whether or not participants said they’d later purchase the products. But that only tells us so much, as people behave differently at the grocery store than they do in a study. Humans are also evolutionarily hard-wired, Rosenfeld said, to opt for familiar foods and be wary of novel ones, like plant-based meats, even if they’re perfectly safe. This perhaps explains why a meat industry-funded group’s attacks against plant-based meat as unnatural and overly processed have seemed to stick with many consumers, even though today’s meat and dairy industries are highly industrialized, require significant processing, and are responsible for the vast majority of foodborne illness-related deaths.While most Americans eat a diet high in processed foods — including highly processed meats, like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and bacon — many consumers say they’re concerned with the processed nature of plant-based meat, which Rosenfeld said could amount to motivated reasoning. “Maybe they already had other skepticisms, and they feel like this is a more rational-sounding explanation for their behavior,” he said.How to sell more plant-based meat in a biased worldThe NECTAR study results, to a degree, weaken the argument that plant-based products don’t taste good enough — at least the best ones. They also clarify the importance of investing in R&D to ensure that new products taste really good. Most of the companies with the highest-rated vegetarian meat products either invested a lot of time and money into R&D — like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat — or are more established, like Gardein, Tofurky, and MorningStar Farms, and therefore have had a long time and plenty of resources to develop good products and evaluate consumer response. Many plant-based meat companies need to have a higher bar for what they put out into the world, as rushing to market with a bad or mediocre product could turn consumers off the category for good. Conversely, companies that take the time to produce high-quality products will be financially rewarded: NECTAR found a correlation between products’ ratings in the study and real-world sales.The study found numerous other areas in need of improvement. For example, some plant-based meat categories are underdeveloped and received especially low ratings from participants, like plant-based bacon, bratwurst, steak fillets, and hot dogs. After consumers were shown the nutrition profiles of the plant-based products they tasted, their reported intent to purchase them at a later date generally slightly increased, though it was lower for products high in sodium or fat, or those that contained unrecognizable ingredients. That puts the plant-based meat industry in an especially difficult double bind: Consumers say they want plant-based meat to taste better but also want less of the ingredients that make it taste better.Though NECTAR’s study was designed to identify where plant-based meat needs to improve, it acknowledges the need to shift societal norms, too. Last year, its parent nonprofit, Food System Innovations, launched an organization focused on “addressing deep-seated cultural barriers” to wider adoption of plant-based foods. “We know these products still have some ways to go, and we want to provide support in getting there,” said Cotto. “But that starts with acknowledging that we’re not there yet.”You’ve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you — threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you — join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

Mario Kart World is the biggest game launching on Switch, and we just got a hefty 15-minute showcase of what to expect – here's all we learned, including when you can play itTech14:50, 17 Apr 2025Updated 14:52, 17 Apr 2025Mario Kart World is Nintendo's big Switch 2 launch title(Image: Nintendo)Mario Kart World is likely to be the big system seller for Nintendo Switch 2, with the company making it the premier launch title – and for good reason, judging by our hands-on time with the game and console last week.The game got its own special Nintendo Direct presentation today, revealing a whole host of information about courses, racers, items, and much, much more.‌Here's everything we learned about Mario Kart World, including when you can buy it and that eye-watering price. Did it live up to expectations?We already knew that Mario Kart World would be a launch title for Nintendo Switch, meaning it'll launch on June 5.Article continues belowThe price is proving to be contentious, though. Mario Kart World will retail for £75 in the UK, although it is discounted if you buy it with the Switch 2.It's also worth noting that the game is a Switch 2 exclusive – so it won't run on the Switch 1.Each track certainly looks colourful(Image: Nintendo)‌As part of the Nintendo Direct on April 17, we got to see more of the tracks you can find in the open world racer.Mario Bros Circuit has a dusty, canyon-esque vibe, while Crown City offers an urban track. Salty Salty Speedway is full of water, while Starview Peak is icy.Boo Cinema is a "ghostly movie theater", while Toad's Factory, Peach Beach, and Wario Shipyard were also mentioned.‌In fact, there are other reimagined classic tracks returning, so it'll be fun to find all of those during our adventures.Fans have gone wild for the arrival of the Cow as a playable racer(Image: Nintendo)So far, we've seen the following confirmed as returning characters:‌MarioLuigiToadDonkey KongPeachDaisyRosalinaYoshiBowserNew characters include Goomba, Spike, Cow, and Lakitu – with many, many more shown.There's some variety in the vehicles, too, suggesting the customisable karts and bikes from Mario Kart 8 will return.‌Characters can eat food while exploring to change outfits(Image: Nintendo)Mario Kart World's main modes are Grand Prix and Knockout Tour, with the former being familiar to longtime fans, albeit with the twist of driving to be the first at each track between the sanctioned races.Knockout Tour feels more akin to a battle royale, with players not placing highly enough being eliminated as they pass through checkpoints.‌Elsewhere, Battle Mode returns, while VS Race offers customisable race parameters and up to four teams, while there are Time Trials, too.Free Roam is packed with secrets, including secret Coins and Panels, and features an extensive photo mode.Expect plenty of vehicle options(Image: Nintendo)‌It's not Mario Kart without new Items to use to help you finish first, and there are some doozies here.The Coin Shell spits out currency you (and opponents can snag), while Kamek can transform rivals with seemingly random effects.Hammers land in an arc, and stick around on the track to block opponents off, the Ice Flower freezes your rivals, the Mega Mushroom allows you to run over other vehicles, and the feather lets you dodge items and find shortcuts.Article continues belowThere are new abilities, too. Wall Riding is a new tool to help you stay off the ground, while a new Charge Jump can help you jump to new pathways and over incoming attacks.Finally, you can rewind time during a race, but doing so will cost you your position.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌

Mario Kart World – the biggest kart game ever (Nintendo) With the newest Mario Kart boasting a massive roster of characters and an open world to explore, here’s everything new included in the game. It’s already clear that Mario Kart World is going to be the biggest entry in the series yet and possibly the best too, based on our hands-on session with the game. Since it’s launching the same day as the Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Kart World is the perfect pick for the console’s killer app. Especially as its hefty price tag means it’s cheaper to buy it at the same time as the console. The game has just had a new Nintendo Direct dedicated entirely to it, so we’ve compiled everything you need to know about Mario Kart World, including its playable roster and selection of racetracks. Every playable character in Mario Kart World Mario Kart World has the largest roster of playable characters in any Mario Kart games, with at least 50 racers confirmed so far. By comparison, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had 48 characters, and that was only after a lot of DLC. Aside from a healthy mix of returning and brand new racers, most characters also sport multiple alternate costumes you can unlock. Nintendo hasn’t revealed the official full roster, but here’s a list of every playable character we’ve spotted in the trailers and footage shared by Nintendo Treehouse (not including the different costume variants). Returning characters from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Mario Luigi Peach Bowser Daisy Yoshi Toad Toadette Rosalina Donkey Kong Wario Waluigi Koopa Troopa Pauline Baby Mario Baby Luigi Baby Peach Baby Daisy Baby Rosalina Bowser Jr. Lakitu King Boo Shy Guy Birdo Dry Bones Wiggler New Mario Kart World characters: Goomba Piranha Plant (not Petey Pirahna) Pianta Spike Dolphin Cow Hammer Bro Chargin’ Chuck Nabbit Monty Mole Pokey Para-Biddybud Penguin (possibly both Mama Penguin and her baby) Sidestepper Snowman Cataquack Fish Bone Peepa Swoop Stingby Rocky Wrench Coin Coffer Cheep Cheep Conkdor A playable Goomba is one of the more normal character additions (Nintendo) How many racetracks are in Mario Kart World? With seven Grand Prix cups with four racetracks each, Mario Kart World has at least 28 racetracks altogether. However, considering past games have typically had eight cups, and given the blatant Rainbow Road tease in the Mario Kart World Direct, there’s probably at least 32 racetracks. In fact, there is footage of an eighth cup that can be seen in this YouTube video from Nindawko, as evidenced by the trophy shown at the 15:36 mark which doesn’t match the symbols of any of the other cups shown in official trailers. It doesn’t take an insider to tell you there’s a secret eighth cup in this game (Nintendo) Additionally, a couple of the same racetracks are listed twice, but are believed to offer different routes since they have different icons depending on the cup they’re in. Plus, almost half of the racetracks – 14 to be exact – are reimagined versions of ones from older games, meaning there are around 18 entirely original racetracks in the game. As such, here is every racetrack in Mario Kart World by Grand Prix cup as evidenced by official Nintendo footage and preview event recordings: Mushroom CupMario Bros. Circuit (inspired by the Grand Canyon) Crown City (inspired by San Francisco) Whistletop Summit DK Spaceport Flower CupDesert Hills (DS) Shy Guy Bazaar (3DS) Wario Stadium (N64) Airship Fortress (DS) Star CupDK Pass (DS) Starview Peak Sky-High Sundae (Switch) Wario’s Galleon (3DS) Shell CupKoopa Troopa Beach (SNES) Faraway Oasis Crown City Peach Stadium Banana CupPeach Beach (GameCube) Salty Salty Speedway (inspired by Venice) Dino Dino Jungle (GameCube) Great ? Block Ruins Leaf CupCheep Cheep Falls Dandelion Depths Boo Cinema Dry Bones Burnout Lightning CupMoo Moo Meadows (Wii) Choco Mountain (N64) Toad’s Factory (Wii) Bowser’s Castle Special Cup (this is not the confirmed name of the eighth cup but this is traditionally what it’s called)Acorn Heights Mario Circuit (SNES – believed to be a combination of the three Mario Circuit racetracks from Super Mario Kart) Peach Stadium Rainbow Road (this is the only course to not have any footage available but it’s a series staple and was teased in the Direct) 31 of the racetracks are re-used for the Knockout Tour mode, which is divided into eight rallies composed of six races each. Some tracks appear more than once in different rallies. For example, Moo Moo Meadows appears in the Golden, Moon, and Heart Rallies, according to the fan-made Super Mario Wiki. The one omission is Rainbow Road. Based on Nintendo’s teasers, this could be because the racetrack is suspended in the sky and is incompatible with the Knockout Tour mode, since it requires driving from one track to the next with every lap. Knockout Tours have you racing from one side of the map to the other(Nintendo) What new items are included in Mario Kart World? While a lot of staple items are coming back for Mario Kart World, Nintendo has highlighted six new ones that will be included, although most of them technically originate from other games. These items are: Coin Shell – originally from the Mario Kart Arcade GP games, this is a projectile item that leaves a trail of coins in its wake Ice Flower – originally from the Mario Kart Tour mobile game and only usable by specific characters, this lets you throw up to eight icy projectiles to spin out opponents Hammer – another item from the arcade games and Tour, this lets you throw multiple hammers at once, that spin out opponents and stick to the racetrack to impede other racers Mega Mushroom – originally from Mario Kart Wii and only appearing in the arcade games and Tour, this item temporarily turns you giant and lets you crush any racers you drive over Feather – originally from Super Mario Kart and then made exclusive to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Tour’s battle modes, this item returns for regular use in races and lets you hop high into the air Kamek – a wholly original item that summons a random enemy type to impede other racers, while simultaneously transforming them into that enemy type Dash Food – an item that transforms your character into a different costume variant. The type of food appears to determine what the costume will be. For example, eating sushi unlocks Japanese inspired outfits. What are the multiplayer options in Mario Kart World? Mario Kart World has three different multiplayer options. For local play, there is split-screen multiplayer for up to four players on a single console. More Trending There is a local wireless option that supports up to eight Switch 2 consoles. Each one allows for up to two players, meaning local wireless multiplayer can support upwards of 16 players at once. Lastly, online play allows races for up to 24 players at once. All three options allow for standard races, Grand Prix, Knockout Tour, and Battle mode. Friends will also be able to free roam the open world together in online play. How much does Mario Kart World cost? Mario Kart World costs £66.99 digitally and £74.99 physically. There is a bundle that includes the Switch 2 and a digital copy of the game for £429.99, meaning you’re only paying £34 for the game itself. However, the bundle will only be available in limited quantities through autumn 2025. When does Mario Kart World release? Mario Kart World launches exclusively for Switch 2 on June 5, 2025. Will you be pre-ordering? (YouTube) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

By Matt Novak Published April 17, 2025 | Comments (2) | UnitedHealthcare (UHC) health insurance company signage is displayed on an office building in Phoenix, Arizona on July 19, 2023. © Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare and Optum Health, saw its stock price plummet over 20% Thursday morning after the healthcare giant downgraded expected performance for the year. The company’s executives explained on a call with analysts Thursday that they had been surprised by increased use of physician and outpatient services within UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage business. UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty called the company’s performance “unusual and unacceptable,” while CFO John Rex said he was “extremely disappointed” to share the news of the company’s outlook with analysts. “Within UnitedHealthcare, pressure was largely contained within the senior business where we saw a sharp increase in care activities that became apparent as we closed out the quarter,” Rex said. Rex said the company would now expect adjusted earnings of $26 to $26.50 per share. As recently as January, the company was expecting adjusted earnings of $29.50 to $30, according to the Wall Street Journal. The executives were asked about President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which have the potential to hit the pharmaceutical side of UnitedHealth’s business. CEO Witty said he felt “pretty good” that various price protections in place through existing contracts would help insulate the company, something that’s been pointed out by other health care experts who believe the immediate impacts won’t be felt by the health care giants themselves in the short term. “In fact, I’d say better than pretty good in terms of the degrees of price protection mechanisms we have in preexisting contracts and also various pieces of legislation, which also limit the ability of manufacturers to pass price increases down through the system,” said Witty. UnitedHealth said that new technologies would allow the company to become more efficient and help deliver better financial results in the future. “Looking ahead, we see a long runway for further technology advances that will translate to more and sustained operating efficiency, which in turn drives opportunity for further innovation and advancements in the company and across the industry,” said Rex. President Trump’s administration recently announced a 5.06% rate increase for Medicare Advantage plans next year, much higher than the 2.23% that the Biden administration had proposed. That bump is expected to raise $25 billion in additional revenue for health care companies, according to the Journal. That sent health insurer stocks soaring earlier this month. UnitedHealth reported net income of $6.47 billion for the first quarter, according to the Journal. UnitedHealth’s stock price is down over 22% on the day at the time of this writing, trading at just over $453 per share. The stock currently sits down 10% from where it was a year ago. Daily Newsletter You May Also Like By Passant Rabie Published April 17, 2025 By Matt Novak Published April 17, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published April 16, 2025 By Matt Novak Published April 16, 2025 By Matt Novak Published April 16, 2025 By Lucas Ropek Published April 16, 2025

UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka / WOO ArchitectsSave this picture!© Hufton + CrowPavilion•Osaka, Japan Architects: WOO Architects Area Area of this architecture project Area:  1760 m² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2025 Photographs Photographs:Hufton + Crow Construction: ES Global More SpecsLess Specs Save this picture! Text description provided by the architects. The UK Government's Pavilion at World Expo 2025 Osaka opens to the public on 13th April 2025. It has been designed by London-based WOO architects (WOO) to showcase British innovations that have changed the world. WOO is a world leader in designing temporary and demountable structures and has created the pavilion in collaboration with ES Global, a specialist design and build contractor of venues and relocatable architecture internationally. Offering a journey through time from the Industrial Revolution to the present day and beyond, the eye-catching pavilion skilfully mixes aspects of heritage with cutting-edge design, perfectly capturing the Expo's theme, Come Build the Future.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Situated in a prime location directly overlooking the water plaza, the UK Pavilion proudly embraces its setting at the southern edge of the Expo site. The pavilion's carefully considered design ensures a welcoming atmosphere, with terraces strategically placed to offer unparalleled panoramic views of the lagoon. This perfect vantage point provides visitors with an ideal space to relax and enjoy the breathtaking water and air show. The pavilion and the gardens take full advantage of the wide plot creating an inspiring and tranquil setting, reflecting the essence of the British landscape. Blending natural beauty with simplicity, it offers visitors a serene and immersive experience and is a natural testament to the deep-rooted connection between the UK and Japan. The landscape invites visitors to explore, connect, and be inspired.Save this picture!Clad in a powder-coated aluminum facade, the facade's parametric design forms a dynamic, pixelated pattern. The articulated block pattern of folded perforated panels envelops the structure, subtly shifting in appearance throughout the day as light interacts with its surface. After dark, the building is transformed, as light animates the perforated facade to reveal the Union Jack flag behind it. Dynamic programming brings the flag 'to life', creating a rippling effect reminiscent of the fabric moving in the wind. For evening events, the facade lighting can shift to a more pixelated animation, playfully referencing the UK's animated mascot, PIX.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The pavilion's layered, tessellated veil takes its cue from the early innovations of the Industrial Revolution. Perforated panels echo the punched cards once used in textile looms - an early form of programmable technology that shaped intricate fabric patterns. This delicate skin pays tribute to the textile industries that fuelled industrial revolutions in both the UK and Japan, weaving together a shared legacy of innovation with a bold, digital-age vision. Those same punched motifs reappeared in the inventions of British pioneers like Charles Babbage, who used them in his mechanical computer and Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer. Over time, these patterns evolved into the binary code and pixels that now underpin Britain's globally recognized film and gaming industries - linking past and present through the language of pattern, precision and progress.Save this picture!Save this picture!Designed with future use in mind, the fully relocatable and efficient 10-meter x 10-meter modular grid structure will be repurposed after the event, reducing waste and supporting a circular economy. ES Global delivered the pavilion using its innovative Global Modular System and lightweight foundation system to prioritize flexibility and sustainability. The interior design, created by WOO in collaboration with Stuart Forbes Associates, includes a wide variety of programmed spaces including galleries, gift shops, conference spaces, terrace bar and tea rooms, brought together with a harmonious and refined design language. At the heart of the Pavilion is the Come Build the Future Exhibition, designed by Immersive International. The 20-minute visitor journey showcases the UK's creative culture and innovation. At the ground level, the pavilion is open, permeable and welcoming, encouraging visitors to seamlessly connect with both the gardens and interior spaces.Save this picture!The pavilion and the gardens take full advantage of the wide plot creating an inspiring and tranquil setting, reflecting the essence of the British landscape. Blending natural beauty with simplicity, it offers visitors a serene and immersive experience and is a natural testament to the deep-rooted connection between the UK and Japan. Save this picture!Emma Owens, Director of WOO and lead designer of the UK Pavilion said, 'The pavilion's design celebrates Britain at a pivotal moment; our global reputation for innovation and creativity shines through, while the playful facade reflects our innate curiosity and ability to find opportunity in every challenge.'This is a space where a rich historic narrative comes alive, and we hope it inspires conversations about British resilience and industriousness for years to come'Borrowing from iconic designs from industrial design to textiles, our work on the UK pavilion is inspired by our nation's rich heritage of innovation, technology and creativity. We hope that visitors will agree that the UK Pavilion stands as an eye-catching and elegant structure at Expo 2025 Osaka.'Save this picture!Save this picture!Carolyn Davidson, The UK's Commissioner General for Expo 2025, said, "From the creation of the power loom to the invention of the world's first computer, the UK's rich history of innovation and invention has provided the world with ideas and products we can't live without for hundreds of years. But what we often forget is that each of these world-changing solutions started out with a simple idea."For Expo 2025, the UK invites visitors to experience a modern, innovative, and uniquely British pavilion that embodies the concept that every simple idea has the power to become something brilliant. Come Build The Future with us at the UK Pavilion."Save this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less Project locationAddress:Osaka, JapanLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeWOO ArchitectsOffice••• Published on April 17, 2025Cite: "UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka / WOO Architects" 17 Apr 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1029184/uk-pavilion-at-expo-2025-osaka-woo-architects&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

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Tracking migrants is a challenging task that policymakers, researchers and humanitarian organizations have long struggled to achieve. The data they use is often outdated, incomplete and inconsistent and this hampers efforts to understand movement and respond effectively to global crises and economic changes. Now that looks set to change thanks to the work of Guanghua Chi at Facebook-owner Meta in Menlo Park, and colleagues, who have used anonymized data from three billion Facebook users to estimate monthly migration flows across 181 countries. “Our estimates closely match high-quality measures of migration where available but can be produced nearly worldwide and with less delay than alternative methods,” they say.Global MovementThe problem the team addresses is simple to state but hard to solve: to measure the long-term movement of people accurately, in near-real time, on a global scale. Traditional methods rely on censuses or administrative records, which are often collected irregularly and inconsistently across countries. Some recent innovations have tapped into cell phone data or social media posts, but these efforts are usually geographically limited. The Facebook-based approach circumvents these limitations, providing a new standard for measuring human movement.Their method uses the United Nations' recommended definition of migration, counting only those who settle for at least a year in a new country. The team built their estimates by first predicting each user's home country based on signals like self-reported location and IP addresses. They then detected long-term changes in residence, applying a segment-based algorithm designed to minimize noise and maximize alignment with standard migration definitions. After identifying migration events, they aggregated them monthly and weighted the data to reflect population-level flows.Of course, Facebook users aren't perfectly representative of the global population. Wealthier individuals, for example, are often more likely to use Facebook and more likely to migrate, particularly in developing nations. To address this, the researchers developed a weighting system that corrects for these imbalances. Their selection model accounts for country-level Facebook usage rates and income levels by adjusting the raw counts to better reflect population-level migration flows. Finally, they add a small amount of statistical noise to protect individual user privacy while preserving the overall trends. This adjustment ensures the resulting migration figures mirror real-world flows rather than the quirks of social media usage. "Our estimates improve substantially on existing figures, allowing us to estimate monthly migration flows between 181 countries by drawing on data from more than 3 billion individuals," say the researchers.To validate their approach, Chi and co compared their estimates with high-quality official statistics from various countries and regions. When benchmarking against New Zealand’s immigration statistics, for example, their model achieved a near-perfect match with a correlation of 0.98.Their data reveal fascinating trends. In 2022, they estimate that 39.1 million people migrated internationally among the 181 countries included in their study, about 0.63% of the population sampled. The United States led the world in net migration gains, with 3.92 million (841,200 emigrants versus 4,109,400 immigrants. While Ukraine suffered the largest net loss of 2.34 million (66,600 immigrants v 2,402,100 emigrants).Global migration plummeted by 64% during the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting widespread travel restrictions, before rebounding by 2022 to rates 24% higher than pre-pandemic levels. Crises CaptureThe data also vividly captures the human consequences of geopolitical crises. Following Russia's invasion in February 2022, emigration from Ukraine surged tenfold compared to pre-war levels, with an estimated 2.3 million people settling elsewhere for at least a year by December 2022. The primary destinations identified – Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, the US, and UK – align closely with UNHCR figures, though the team notes their stricter migration definition results in lower counts than figures based purely on refugee registrations or temporary protection statuses. Similar spikes were observed following Hong Kong's passage of a contentious security law in 2020 (migration to the UK increased fifteenfold shortly after) and the 2021 coup in Myanmar. “We observe that crises can lead to dramatic changes in migration," say the researchers, highlighting the utility of their dataset for tracking real-time responses to global events.Interestingly, the team found that migration patterns reflect economic disparities and social networks. Wealthier countries attract a disproportionate share of migrants, while migration between neighboring countries is far more common than between distant ones. "Distance is a strong predictor of the rate of migration between countries," they note, emphasizing that proximity, economic opportunity, and existing diaspora communities all shape global flows.Migration also tends to follow a steplike pattern with migrants from poor countries moving to middle income countries and migrants from there moving to wealthy countries.That’s important work with numerous applications. Real-time, high-resolution migration data could transform fields ranging from economics and sociology to disaster response and urban planning. Governments should also be able to tailor immigration policies better, humanitarian organizations could respond faster to crises, and researchers could build more accurate models of human mobility. To that end, the team are releasing their dataset publicly through the Humanitarian Data Exchange, ensuring broad access for future work. This is an important example of the kind of transparency that other global tech companies should aim to repeat. There is clearly much low hanging fruit in the enormous global databases tech companies are compiling. How they release it, if at all, should be part of an important public debate.Ref: Measuring Global Migration Flows using Online Data: arxiv.org/abs/2504.11691The New York Times has also published an interactive tool for visualizing this data.