The State’s Fire Insurance Backstop Is Becoming Californians’ Only Option
California’s FAIR Plan now covers many low-risk homes, as a Stanford study warns wildfire losses, not just premiums, drive the insurance crisis.
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Old Farms Are Showing How to Feed People Without Wrecking Nature
Ancient farming landscapes show that food production and conservation do not have to be enemies. A new study finds their survival depends on culture, markets, pride and local knowledge.
Why More of Us Now Believe That Truth Is Something You Feel
A new psychology scale measures the belief that truth is personal and felt. Researchers say it may help explain why some people distrust science.
System Is Shutting the Door on Condo Ownership
Condominiums are often the most affordable path to homeownership, yet the condo market is stalling. An Urban Institute report says broken approval rules and rising insurance costs are choking financing.
Why Are Black-White Marriage Rates So Low?
Why do Americans so rarely marry across race and class lines? A new Census-linked study of 31 million people finds residential segregation explains over a third of class-based marriage sorting but less than 5% of racial sorting. Desegregation could boost interclass marriage, while barriers to interracial marriage run far deeper than neighborhoods.
When Scientists Slip From Evidence Into Advocacy, Climate Policy Pays the Price
A systematic review of 23 net-zero energy and transport studies finds that scientists’ policy recommendations consistently fall short. Every study rated poorly on evidence-communication standards. Many drifted into advocacy, used emotive language, and hid uncertainties. Researchers urge the same rigor for policy advice as for the science behind it.
The Working Poor Security Guards Who Protect Everyone Else’s Safety
A new UC Berkeley Labor Center analysis profiles California’s 186,000 security guards. Most earn below a living wage, over half the low-wage tier lack employer health insurance, and annual turnover nears 92 percent. Researchers link that churn to weaker safety, citing airport screening data. The workforce is overwhelmingly people of color.
Not All Right: What 29,000 European Kids Think of a Social Media Ban for Children
A survey of 29,169 children across 19 European countries finds most are already on social media well before mid-teens. Only half feel safe online. Children are deeply ambivalent about age bans. Many fear losing friends, freedom and learning opportunities. Researchers argue safety-by-design, not blanket bans, best protects children’s rights.
Chornobyl War Zone: Ukraine Wildlife Under Occupation
Camera traps in Chornobyl show war reshaping wildlife behavior as fighting, fire and occupation altered animal routines.
AI Usage Stats 2026: Americans Use It More but Trust It Less
About half of U.S. adults now use AI chatbots, roughly double the 2024 share. But a new Pew Research Center survey finds views tilting negative. Most say AI is moving too fast and will make their data less secure. Even younger adults, the heaviest users, are the most skeptical about AI’s future impact.
Paywalls Lose Most Readers, But the Few Who Stay Are Worth 84x More
What the Study Found You’ve hit one before. The article you wanted, three paragraphs in, then a grey box sliding up over the text: please
The Immune Cell That Could Make CAR Macrophage Therapy Renewable
Engineered macrophages struggle to expand and persist as cancer therapies. USC researchers found a way to grow their upstream progenitors on a massive scale by blocking one enzyme. CAR-engineered versions attacked leukemia and solid tumors in mice. A new receptor design even recruited the host’s immune system across mismatch barriers.