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"Back in the 1980s, a group of social workers in Jamaica visited low-income homes one hour a week for two years, bearing age-appropriate toys for the kids and advice on child rearing for the parents. Researchers tracked the outcomes, and a generation later, the results are in. The children whose homes were visited by social workers became adults who earn wages that are 25 percent higher than those earned by peers who had not been visited. Their I.Q.s are an average seven points higher, and they are less likely to resort to crime or suffer from depression. Other studies, including several recent ones in the United States, have shown similar results, contributing to a consensus on the importance of early childhood development that has led governments around the world to increase spending on the first five years of life. In Latin America and the Caribbean, a region of longstanding social and economic inequality, several countries have been especially ambitious. Brazil and Chile doubled the coverage of day care services over the past decade, while in Ecuador they grew sixfold. These investments build on historic gains in child nutrition and health. But while Latin American children are now healthier and more likely to attend preschool, they still lag far behind in learning, particularly in the areas of language and cognition, when compared with their counterparts in wealthy countries. What are we doing wrong? ..."

"Las palabras no son neutras. Denominar un hecho histórico de una forma u otra conforma la representación del propio hecho. Alrededor de esa idea, os presentamos la entrada de esta semana, que coincide con el aniversario del desembarco de las primeras naves españolas en América o Abya Yala, como denominan el continente algunos/as de sus habitantes desde tiempos precolombinos (nuevamente, las palabras importan)."

"Drained fertile peatlands around the globe are hotspots for the atmospheric emission of laughing-gas -- a powerful greenhouse gas called nitrous oxide, which is partly responsible for global warming and destruction of the ozone layer, a new study shows. Research into natural peatlands such as fens, swamps and bogs, as well as drained peatlands, found that either draining wet soils or irrigating well drained soils boosts the emission of nitrous oxide significantly. Led by researchers at the University of Birmingham and the University of Tartu, Estonia, the study took in 58 peatland sites around the world. These included locations in the United States, Australia, Brazil, South America, Australia, New Zealand, East Africa, Southeast Asia, Siberia and Europe."

"Visual Capitalist consideró que una persona lee unas 240 palabras por minutos y en función de ese dato calculó cuánto se demoraría en leer los términos y condiciones de algunas de las plataformas online más populares. La extensión y, en ocasiones, la dificultad que implica digerir esta información ha sido fruto de análisis y controversias hace años. El documental Términos y condiciones (Terms and conditions may apply) del año 2013 y dirigido por Cullen Hoback pone el foco no sólo en la longitud de los acuerdos sino en en la compleja jerga legal que se incluyen en muchos de estos acuerdos que publican las compañías. En el último tiempo, algunas de las plataformas más populares fueron adaptando y re escribiendo sus términos y condiciones para facilitar la lectura de esta información por parte de los lectores. Aún así, un usuario necesitaría en promedio 250 horas para leer todos los acuerdos de todos los servicios que emplea en sus celulares o computadoras."