Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Global Climate Change

Global Climate Change

Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.

Population Growth

Population Growth

Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.

Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth

Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth

Exponential models are essential for describing rapid, multiplicative changes in natural systems, such as population growth. When a population doubles at regular intervals, the process can be modeled using a suitable base. For instance, a bacterial culture that doubles every three hours follows the model n(t)=n0⋅2t/3, where n(t) is the population at the time t.A more general model uses the natural base e, especially for continuous growth. This takes the form n(t)=n0⋅ert, where r is...

Threats to Biodiversity

Threats to Biodiversity

There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...

Modeling with Differential Equations

Modeling with Differential Equations

Population dynamics can be described mathematically by considering the population size P(t) as a function of time. The rate of change of the population is then represented by the derivative of P(t). A simple assumption is that the rate of growth is proportional to the size of the population itself. This leads to an exponential growth model, where the population increases rapidly without bound. While this is a useful first approximation, it does not reflect realistic long-term...

Exponential Growth

Exponential Growth

Bacterial populations exhibit exponential growth when conditions such as nutrient availability and temperature are favorable. In this phase, cells reproduce through binary fission, where each cell divides into two identical daughter cells. This process causes the population to double at regular intervals, resulting in a growth rate that is directly proportional to the current number of cells. As the population increases, the number of new cells formed during each generation also grows, creating...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Biological rhythms, jetlag and performance in Thoroughbred racehorses.

Equine veterinary journal·2012

Same author

Experimental jetlag disrupts circadian clock genes but improves performance in racehorses after light-dependent rapid resetting of neuroendocrine systems and the rest-activity cycle.

Journal of neuroendocrinology·2011

Same author

Darwin, have I failed you?

Trends in ecology & evolution·2011

Same author

Hormonal basis of sexual dimorphism in birds: implications for new theories of sexual selection.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2011

Same author

Reply from I.p.f. Owens and R.v. Short.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2011

Same author

Defective Biosynthesis of Ovarian Steroids in the Stein-Leventhal Syndrome.

British medical journal·2010

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

Population growth and global warming.

¹Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Level 4, 766 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne 3010, Victoria, Australia.

Facts, Views & Vision in Obgyn

|December 6, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Global warming is unsustainable due to rising human population and CO2 emissions. Oral contraceptive pills offer a viable solution to control population growth and mitigate climate change impacts.

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Advancing Coral Culture - Creating a Semi-Quantitatively Controlled Microenvironment System to Counter Current Limitations

Author Spotlight: Advancing Coral Culture - Creating a Semi-Quantitatively Controlled Microenvironment System to Counter Current Limitations

Published on: July 21, 2023

Assessing Intertidal Populations of the Invasive European Green Crab

Assessing Intertidal Populations of the Invasive European Green Crab

Published on: September 16, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

Author Spotlight: Advancing Coral Culture - Creating a Semi-Quantitatively Controlled Microenvironment System to Counter Current Limitations

Author Spotlight: Advancing Coral Culture - Creating a Semi-Quantitatively Controlled Microenvironment System to Counter Current Limitations

Published on: July 21, 2023

Assessing Intertidal Populations of the Invasive European Green Crab

Assessing Intertidal Populations of the Invasive European Green Crab

Published on: September 16, 2020

Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Demography
Public Health

Background:

The global human population has surged from 2 billion in 1930 to 6.8 billion currently, projected to reach 9.1 billion by 2050.
This rapid population growth is unsustainable and directly linked to increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, exacerbating global warming.
Developed nations, with high affluence and emissions, must lead in population and per capita emission control, while assisting developing nations.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the unsustainable nature of current global population growth.
To establish the link between human population size, CO2 emissions, and global warming.
To propose the oral contraceptive pill as a critical tool for population control and climate change mitigation.

Main Methods:

Analysis of historical and projected global population data.
Correlation of population growth with CO2 emissions and global warming trends.
Identification of the role of healthcare professionals in population management.

Main Results:

Current population levels and projected growth rates are unsustainable.
Human CO2 emissions are a primary driver of global warming, intensified by population increase.
The oral contraceptive pill presents an effective method for managing population growth.

Conclusions:

Controlling population growth is essential to combat global warming.
Developed countries have a responsibility to lead by example and support population control initiatives globally.
Obstetricians and gynecologists can significantly contribute to mitigating climate change through the promotion of oral contraceptives.