After 45 years, I am retiring from the Italian National Health Service. If someone were to ask me what I think of the Italian National Health Service after all these years, I would consider Brenner’s theory on single nephron hyperfiltration injury.1 In chronic kidney disease, the progressive loss of functional nephrons—caused by conditions like hypertension and diabetes—forces the remaining nephrons to compensate through hyperfiltration and increased workload. This adaptive mechanism, mainly mediated by angiotensin II, temporarily sustains kidney function but ultimately accelerates damage.

At the turn of the century, Vaclav Smil wrote Feeding the World. He now returns to the subject with the similarly titled How to Feed the World. In the 24 years that separate the two, Smil wrote 28 books. Energy was a recurrent theme—Smil is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading experts on the topic—as was growth. There was a history of diesel engines and gas turbines, an extended essay on eating meat, and books focusing on manufacturing in the USA and the Japanese diet. The breadth of Smil’s knowledge is as impressive as the depth.

At the turn of the century, Vaclav Smil wrote Feeding the World. He now returns to the subject with the similarly titled How to Feed the World. In the 24 years that separate the two, Smil wrote 28 books. Energy was a recurrent theme—Smil is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading experts on the topic—as was growth. There was a history of diesel engines and gas turbines, an extended essay on eating meat, and books focusing on manufacturing in the USA and the Japanese diet. The breadth of Smil’s knowledge is as impressive as the depth.

At the turn of the century, Vaclav Smil wrote Feeding the World. He now returns to the subject with the similarly titled How to Feed the World. In the 24 years that separate the two, Smil wrote 28 books. Energy was a recurrent theme—Smil is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading experts on the topic—as was growth. There was a history of diesel engines and gas turbines, an extended essay on eating meat, and books focusing on manufacturing in the USA and the Japanese diet. The breadth of Smil’s knowledge is as impressive as the depth.