Dispatches: Obama's Science Adviser on the Fukushima Nuclear Accident
News and notes from Pacific Standard staff and contributors.
Francie Diep
Francie Diep is a staff writer at Pacific Standard, where she specializes in health and drug policy and the intersections of culture and science. Previously, she covered science, health, and science policy for Scientific American, Popular Science, and Smithsonian.
What Health Ad Researchers Think About the White House's New Anti-Opioid Campaign
The ads capture attention and may help spread awareness. But will they change how anyone acts?
The DEA Tightened the Rules for Legal Opioid Sales. Did That Drive the Market to the Dark Web?
After the 2014 rule change, sales of prescription painkillers went up among U.S. sellers on dark Web marketplaces.
Harassment Is Rife in Science Labs—and University Policies Aren't Helping
Meanwhile, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is struggling with its own controversy over whether it properly punishes member harassers.
Puerto Rico Releases Records Suggesting a Higher Death Count After Hurricane Maria
The records indicate 1,427 more people died on the island in the months following the hurricane than would be expected in a normal year.
Trump Commutes the Life Sentence of the First-Time Drug Offender Backed by Kim Kardashian
President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, who has already served 21 years of a life sentence for charges of cocaine possession and money laundering.
Boeing Flight Line Workers Vote to Unionize in South Carolina
In this historically anti-union state, organizing even a small number of workers is a big deal.
Obama's Science Adviser on Science in the First Year of the Trump Administration
John Holdren and others are still at work, trying to influence federal science policy.
Is the Trump Administration Hindering Asylum Seekers by Making It Harder to Tell Who Qualifies?
The administration hasn't been shy about changing the law, but more hidden changes have taken place too.
Obama-Era Climate Change Leaders Launch a Climate Health Center at Harvard
Harvard University and Google together launched a center on Wednesday that "will seek to reduce the use of harmful chemicals in building products and materials."
How Medical Ethicists See the Proposed 'Gag Rule' on Abortion Referrals in Government-Funded Clinics
Pacific Standard spoke to secular and religious ethicists about the controversial proposal.
The Trump Administration's Proposed Funding Cuts to Clinics Like Planned Parenthood Could Hurt Low-Income Women the Most
A look at the research on what happens to contraceptive access for low-income Americans when the government withholds funding to family-planning clinics.
An EPA Summit on Contaminants in Drinking Water Draws Attention for Who It's Missing: Activists, Independent Scientists, and Journalists
The Environmental Protection Agency made a splash on Tuesday for barring journalists from three news outlets from attending, in person, a summit about contaminants in drinking water.
The Trump Administration Is Set to Cut Off Federal Funding to Clinics That Offer Abortions
The White House plans to announce a rule today that would bar federal funds from going to any clinic that provides abortions or refers their patients to abortion providers.
What a 'Reproducibility Crisis' Committee Found When It Looked at Climate Science
The scientific community is working to make its predictions more accurate, but there's still a long way to go.
Transparency Advocates Log the Disappearance of Obamacare Information From Government Websites
Though various mentions of it have disappeared from government webpages, the Affordable Care Act remains in effect.
Maryland Joins 10 Other States in Banning Gay Conversion Therapy for Minors
Maryland enacted a law on Tuesday banning gay conversion therapy for minors, the Associated Press reports.
Doctors Who Get Gifts From Opioid Sales Reps Prescribe More Opioids
In wooing a doctor, even a single meal makes a difference.
Thirty California Counties Sue Drug Companies That Make Opioid Painkillers
Thirty California counties—home to more than 10 million people—are suing drug companies that manufacture and market opioid painkillers.
Dispatches: What It's Like to Report on Your Parents' Former Union
News and notes from Pacific Standard staff and contributors.
Is It Just an 'Atheists' Club'? Inside the House of Representatives' New Freethought Caucus
As religious tensions flare in the House, four Democratic congressmen are launching a new group dedicated to science-based policy, separation of church and state, and freedom for all—including atheists.
Some Officials Worry a Cocaine Epidemic Is About to Hit the U.S.
Farmers in Colombia have been ramping up their coca planting and now seem ready to produce cocaine in unprecedented amounts, according to the DEA.
On the EPA's New 'Secret Science' Policy, Republicans and Democrats Both Profess a Fear of Politicized Science
Scott Pruitt's proposed policy to require that data and methods behind scientific studies be made publicly available has left Democrats in Congress rankled.
A Tale of Two Boeing Factories
Boeing workers in Washington State have been unionized for decades; their counterparts in South Carolina recently voted out the union in a landslide. Pacific Standard compares conditions in both workplaces, a year after South Carolina's historic vote.
Some Republicans in Congress Are Worried About Asteroids Crashing Into Earth—but Not About Climate Change
Asteroids pose a risk for anyone—regardless of income level. That's not the case with climate change.
Retreating Arctic Ice Has Shifted Shipping Routes 180 Miles Closer to the North Pole
Even smaller fishing boats are venturing deeper into the Arctic, an analysis finds.
Facebook Is Planning on Turning Its Data Over to Social Scientists. Should Users Trust the Project?
We spoke with social-science ethicists about how well Facebook's initiative appears to protect users' privacy. They're skeptical, but still eager to see Facebook data studied.
How Easy Is It to Get Naloxone in Your State?
Here's how states have made it easier for bystanders to administer naloxone to overdose victims.
The Surgeon General Urges More Americans to Carry Naloxone
Advocacy groups have long pushed for making more naloxone available to the public as a way to prevent overdoses. The surgeon general's advisory gives that effort a big boost.
Marking the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death in Atlanta
Hours before a televised ceremony, the sites of King's crypt and church saw a steady stream of visitors.
The NIH Just Announced a Billion-Dollar Initiative to Combat Opioid Addiction
On Wednesday, federal science and policy speakers outlined their plans for combating opioid addiction.
A Decade After the FDA Warned Doctors About Methadone, States Finally Stopped Recommending It
When used as a pain reliever, methadone is especially likely to cause unintentional overdoses.
Independent Autopsy Finds That Police Shot Stephon Clark Mostly in the Back
Clark turned out to be unarmed, and his death sparked large protests organized by Black Lives Matter and other groups.
'This Is the Closest to Home It's Ever Been': Scenes From the 'March for Our Lives' in Washington, D.C.
The marchers offered an array of ideas for reducing gun violence in America.
Dispatches: 'Pacific Standard' Goes to Washington
News and notes from Pacific Standard staff and contributors.
Animal Rights Groups Sue the Department of the Interior Over Trophy Hunting
The lawsuit alleges that the DOI's decision to allow Americans to bring their hunting trophies back home violates the Endangered Species Act.
The Research Behind Trump's Anti-Drug Proposals
Is condemning drug dealers to death really a wise strategy?
Why Did the National Science Foundation Propose Slashing Its Own Social Science Budget?
Social science advocates and Democratic lawmakers suggest the White House was behind the NSF's proposed budget slashes.
PS Picks: The 'New York Times' on High Drug Prices in America
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
How Immigration Crackdowns Are Hurting America's Poorest Schools
Teachers around the country report emotional and behavioral problems among their students as a result of ICE raids. Even kids from families under no danger of deportation are affected.
The USGS Director's Newest Job Description: Maintaining 'Scientific Integrity'
There was a recurring theme during former astronaut James Reilly's confirmation hearing to become the new USGS director: the importance that he prevent the agency from corruption.
Emergency Room Visits for Opioid Overdoses Went Up 30 Percent Last Year
It seems few corners of America have been spared the ravages of opioid misuse.
The National Science Foundation Is Still Months Away From Finalizing Its Policy on Harassers—but It's Enforcing the New Rules Anyway
Scientists found to have harassed colleagues or subordinates are now open to having their NSF grants revoked.
A New Website Names and Shames Universities and Companies Who Fail to Report Clinical Trials
The government has never fined anyone for breaking a law about reporting clinical trials. A new effort is trying to change that.
PS Picks: The Story of Nigel, the Loneliest Seabird in New Zealand
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
An Off-Label Use of Cheap Strips—to Test for Deadly Contaminants in Drugs—Gets the Backing of Science
Research is beginning to show that cheap strips can accurately detect deadly fentanyl, and encourages people to get high more cautiously.
What's Trump's Budget Means for Space, Health, and Basic Science in America
Under Trump's request, NASA's budget would hold steady, while the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation would see their funding slashed.
The Scope of America's Failing Water Systems
A new study looks at how often American community water systems violate health standards.
How Much Would Cutting Fossil-Fuel Subsidies Really Limit Global Warming?
Not that much, one new study finds.