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Vaclav Smil

Vaclav Smil writes Numbers Don’t Lie, IEEE Spectrum's column devoted to the quantitative analysis of the material world. Smil does interdisciplinary research focused primarily on energy, technical innovation, environmental and population change, food and nutrition, and on historical aspects of these developments. He has published 40 books and nearly 500 papers on these topics. He is a distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Science Academy). In 2010 he was named by Foreign Policy as one of the top 100 global thinkers, in 2013 he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada, and in 2015 he received an OPEC Award for research on energy. He has also worked as a consultant for many U.S., EU and international institutions, has been an invited speaker in more than 400 conferences and workshops and has lectured at many universities in North America, Europe, and Asia (particularly in Japan).

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Vaclav Smil

The War in Ukraine Disrupts Trade in Both Food and Fuel

Europe depends on Russian energy; many countries depend on Russo-Ukrainian grain

The Richer They Get, the More Meat They Eat

Ignore the hype that the world is about to turn vegan

Explosive Power Beats Even Moore’s Law

The power of destructiveness is the most impressive metric of modern technology

Trending Stories

Posits, a New Kind of Number, Improves the Math of AI

Magnetic-Confinement Fusion Without the Magnets

Zero-Energy Tech Heats When Cold and Cools When Hot

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Vaclav Smil

The War in Ukraine Disrupts Trade in Both Food and Fuel

Europe depends on Russian energy; many countries depend on Russo-Ukrainian grain

The Richer They Get, the More Meat They Eat

Ignore the hype that the world is about to turn vegan

Explosive Power Beats Even Moore’s Law

The power of destructiveness is the most impressive metric of modern technology

Trending Stories

Posits, a New Kind of Number, Improves the Math of AI

Magnetic-Confinement Fusion Without the Magnets

Zero-Energy Tech Heats When Cold and Cools When Hot