Making Ends Meet: A Conceptual and Ethical Analysis of Efficiency.

Efficiency is often overlooked as an ethical value and seen as ethically relevant chiefly when it conflicts with other values, such as equality. This article argues that efficiency is a rich and philosophically interesting concept deserving of independent normative examination. Drawing on a detailed healthcare case study, we argue that making assessments of efficiency involves value-laden, deliberative judgments about how to characterize the functioning of human systems.

Geobiology: Machine learning puts bioturbation on the map.

Bioturbation, the mixing of sediment through the actions of organisms, is a crucial ecosystem engineering process that controls biogeochemical cycles and helps structure marine ecosystems. Machine learning is helping to develop global maps of the intensity and depth of bioturbation.