Re:The Case for Making Humans Smaller
by StefanKarpinski on Sunday November 15, 2015 @07:15AM
(#10569398)
I can't tell if this is a Swiftian modest proposal or an earnest but ridiculously impractical idea, but this bit got me:
> Liao has calculated that reducing the average US height by just 8 percent (15 cm) would mean a corresponding mass reduction of 23 percent for men and 25 percent for women, and a 15-18 percent reduction of metabolic rate. The effect of this downscaling “is not linear,” he says. “It’s exponential.”
Re:The Case for Making Humans Smaller
by rtl49 on Sunday November 15, 2015 @07:43AM
(#10569454)
I think it's tongue-in-cheek or a publicity stunt. Among other problems, this would only increase the carrying capacity of our planet. It doesn't miraculously solve the problems of inevitable overpopulation or excessive consumption.
> Liao has calculated that reducing the average US height by just 8 percent (15 cm) would mean a corresponding mass reduction of 23 percent for men and 25 percent for women, and a 15-18 percent reduction of metabolic rate. The effect of this downscaling “is not linear,” he says. “It’s exponential.”
Face palm.