​Scientists have identified the team with the greatest chance of winning the World Cup ● Humanity has reached the milestone of 8 billion people. What’s next? ● Why India will not implement the ‘one child’ policy.

Scientists have determined the national team with the greatest chances of winning the World Cup

That Nature is a multidisciplinary journal covering all fields of science is evidenced by a recent major study in which several scientists applied mathematical models to determine the teams with the best chance of winning the World Cup in Qatar. .

In principle, if you study their calculation methods, the mentioned scientists did not discover anything new, they simply applied some statistical methods known to professional bookmakers for decades. In particular, all statistical data on the effectiveness of the players, their ability to shoot from a distance, score, make assists, keep possession in the opponent’s field, etc., were taken into account. To all this, the difficulty coefficients of rival teams are added. All these data are converted into numbers, into equations, and the final result gives data on the statistical chances of the analyzed teams.

Based on such calculations, the researchers were able to correctly predict six of the eight quarter-finalists at the 2020 European Championship, as well as the fact that Italy will beat England in the final. The novelty is that, starting from this World Cup, coaches will receive statistics in real time and will be able to present them to the players already during the match.

In general, according to experts’ calculations, Belgium is the favorite for the World Cup with 13.88% chances, followed by Brazil with 13.51%. The next places are France (12.11%) and Argentina (11.52%). This does not mean that scientists have no right to relax with such statistics.

Humanity has reached the mark of 8 billion people. What’s next?

On November 15, according to UN statistics, humanity officially passed the eight billion mark, just 12 years after reaching seven billion and 100 years after reaching two billion. According to UN data published in the journal Nature, this growth will not continue.

Demographers claim that in 2100 the world’s population will reach 10.4-11 billion inhabitants, which indicates not only a decrease in the birth rate, but sometimes even the reverse. For these statistical figures, data on the birth rate in different geographical regions, progress in the field of medicine and social protection, the rate of infant mortality, and the distribution of resources were taken into account.

The new data supports the idea that the birth rate will drop significantly, a trend already seen in China, the country that still has the world’s largest population, where deaths outnumber births each year. In fact, experts say, global population growth at current rates will change in just a few decades.

Why India will not implement the ‘one child’ policy.

In just a few months, in 2023, India will officially become the most populous country in the world, overtaking China. The data has sparked heated debate among Indian officials about the possibility of the country implementing the one-child policy, a policy adopted by China in the 1980s.

In fact, measures have already been taken in some parts of India to prevent parents of more than two children from holding public office or pursuing a political career. However, the model put forward by China through its population control policy, which stipulates that a family can only have one child, shows that the long-term effects have been quite negative.

China is facing an aging population with a gradually declining birthrate, and the easing of measures to allow a family to have two children in 2015 and three children in 2021 has not led to the expected increase in birthrates.

In fact, rising costs of raising a child or raising the level of education among rural youth has led to lower birth rates, a trend that can also be seen in India. Basically, Indian families, including those in rural areas, decide to have fewer and fewer children. Thus, according to UN reports, the one-child policy is becoming obsolete.

Source: Dreamstime.com