Health
What Does the Post-Roe Future Look Like?
By Laura SmithOn June 24, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, reversing 49 years of constitutional protection for abortion.
Tackling the Teen Sleep Crisis
By Laura SmithFive questions with Lisa L. Lewis '89, Author of The Sleep-Deprived Teen
The Man Who Loved DDT
By Elena ConisBerkeley biochemist Tom Jukes was an ardent conservationist and life member of the Sierra Club, but he just didn’t get 1960s environmentalism. The thing that bugged him most about the movement was its “emotional binge” against the pesticide DDT.
Mooooove Over, Meat
By Krissy WaiteGiving up hamburgers and ice cream in the next 15 years could save us from global climate catastrophe.
Beware Second Hand Bong Smoke
By Krissy WaiteMost people today recognize the health risks of inhaling tobacco smoke, even secondhand. Fewer are aware of the dangers of cannabis smoke.
Sight Unseen
By Leah Worthington and Illustration by David JunkinThe paradox of blindsight might unlock the mystery of consciousness.
The View from the Trenches
By Glen Martin and Photos by Marcus HanschenTwo years into the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 continues to defy predictions. At the date of this writing, the Omicron variant—as contagious as ultra-transmissible viruses such as measles, if somewhat less severe than earlier COVID variants—continues to spread rapidly. While the surge appears to be ebbing in some areas of the United States, hospitalizations remain high and, nationally, about 2,500 deaths are reported daily.
Peregrines in Love
By Hayden RoysterIf Berkeley has a celebrity couple, it’s Annie and Grinnell, the peregrine falcons who alighted on the Campanile and have called it home since late 2016. Year after year, the lovebirds have nested and fledged their chicks, generating 24/7 entertainment for those tuning in to the Cal Falcons live cams (first installed in 2019). Viewers have had unprecedented access to the daily lives of a falcon family: first meals, first flights, the one kid who just won’t leave the nest. It was like Jon & Kate Plus 8, but with a lot more dead pigeons and doves.
Unpacking PTSD
By Dhoha BarecheA study led by researchers from Berkeley and UCSF may help explain why some people are more resilient to traumatic stress than others and lead to possible therapies. Published in December in the journal Translational Psychiatry, the study found a link between increased myelination in the brain’s gray matter and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
You Are Probably Burned Out at Work
By Wyatte Grantham-PhilipsA Q&A with Dr. Christina Maslach
Post-Pandemic, Teletherapy Is Here to Stay
DR. HANNAH ZEAVIN’S WORK explores the question of how we recover from trauma, and the roles that technology and media play in how we understand each other and ourselves. She is a lecturer in the English and History departments at UC Berkeley and an affiliate of Berkeley’s Center for Science, Technology, Medicine and Society, and […]
Slippery Slopes and Other Concerns About End of Life Options
By Leah WorthingtonA Q&A on the ethics of aid-in-dying with Dr. Guy Micco.
