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The first United Nations population forecast came in 1958, when the world population sat just under 3 billion. Many were skeptical of the UN experts’ predictions that the population would double to roughly 6 billion by the year 2000, but their forecasts proved remarkably accurate. In this brief video, Professor Hans Rosling of the Karolinska Institute looks back at how UN population outlooks have played out in the past, and charts new predictions for the human population between now and 2100.
Video by Gapminder
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Thinkers and theories
A rare female scholar of the Roman Empire, Hypatia lived and died as a secular voice
5 minutes
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Anthropology
Why are witchcraft accusations so common across human societies?
4 minutes
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Wellbeing
Born in China, Zee seeks a gender-affirming life in the American Midwest
11 minutes
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Rituals and celebrations
A whale hunt is an act of prayer for an Inuit community north of the Arctic Circle
8 minutes
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Politics and government
How it looked to Afghan women to see the Taliban return to power
33 minutes
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Biography and memoir
Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act
13 minutes
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The ancient world
The six priestesses who kept the flame of ancient Rome alight at risk of death
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Engineering
A close-up look at electronic paper reveals its exquisite patterns – and limitations
9 minutes
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Architecture
West Africa was once an architectural laboratory. Is it time for a revival?
12 minutes