The Mood Inside the Environmental Protection Agency: ‘Somber’
In the wake of Donald Trump’s election, the future of the EPA is uncertain.
Ryan Jacobs
Deputy Editor Ryan Jacobs joined Pacific Standard from The Atlantic, where he covered international affairs and crime for the magazine’s Global channel. Before that, he reported for Mother Jones, Bay Citizen (RIP), Sierra, the Point Reyes Light, and the Chicago Reporter. He is writing a book about crime in the truffle industry for the Clarkson Potter imprint of Penguin Random House.
'Pacific Standard' HQ Lies Safely Outside Tsunami Inundation Zone
But new research insights about the power of the Ventura Fault might change that, along with the risks for many other structures along the Southern California coast.
The View From Your Ivory Tower
Send us a photograph of your campus view and, if your image is selected for our new photo submission contest, we'll send you a free one-year subscription to Pacific Standard's print magazine.
The Effects of Growing Up With a Weird or Unusual Name
How unusual names, under certain circumstances, can lead to success.
We All Live in Ferguson
Unconstitutional violence perpetrated by police against people of color, minorities, and vulnerable populations is all too normal.
Don't Tell Kids Eating Vegetables Will Make Them Stronger
Instead, hand them over in silence. Or, market them as the most delicious snack known to mankind.
How a CEO's Battle Speeches Can Shape Ethical Behavior
CEO war speech might inspire ethical decisions internally and unethical ones among competing companies.
Walking on All Fours Is Not a Sign of Human 'Devolution'
New quantitative analysis reveals that people with Uner Tan Syndrome don't actually walk like primates at all.
What Is the World's Actual Lowest Hanging Fruit?
A linguist and top pomologists attempt to answer what should be a simple inquiry. Oddly enough, the answer brings a complicated tale of devil strawberries, insurance companies, inferior fruit, and the messy line between literal and metaphorical interpretation.
How to Sail Around the World Alone and Not Go Mad
The isolated adventure is about skill, belief in internal power, and talking to yourself.
Does Faith Make You a Better Worker?
If you attend a church that promotes messages about faith and employment, you might be more committed, satisfied, and entrepreneurial on the job.
Casual Sex Is Actually Excellent for You
New research suggests that not all casual sex is bad. For those legitimately interested, it can boost life satisfaction and self-esteem and lessen anxiety.
How Prison Architecture Can Transform Inmates' Lives
More open layouts can improve inmate-guard relations and support a culture of progress rather than fear.
6-Year-Olds Know When You're Making Sins of Omission
In a new study, kids gave lower ratings to teachers who left out key details about toys. And once misled, they inspected new toys more carefully.
How to Make a Paranormal Event Seem Believable
Frame the story as a prior skeptic, not a staunch believer.
Study: Politicians Should Curse More
When used correctly, phrases like "pissed off" and "up shit creek" can signal informality and lead to more positive evaluations by potential voters.
Automation Has Encouraged the Pilot's Wandering Mind
With increasing automation, pilots may be thinking about the cold cuts they're going to buy at the deli instead of focusing on the flight.
All the Study Subjects Have Gone to Prison
Studies on health disparities are being confounded by yet another disparity: the disproportionate incarceration of black men.
Elderly Fear Their Future Robot Friends Will Corrupt Children
Senior citizens' hesitance about using caretaking robots comes from a fear that their grandchildren will become emotionally dependent on the machines.
Science: Owning Yachts Much Better Than Merely Chartering Them
When it comes to luxury products, owning them makes you much more satisfied with your life than using them.
The Dangerous Mathematical Con of Hedge Funds and Financial Advisers
Using too many trials to design investment algorithms renders them statistically useless and potentially devastating.
Speed-Reading Apps Will Not Revolutionize Anything
The one-word-at-a-time presentation eliminates the eye movements that help you comprehend what you're reading.
When a Romance Is Threatened, People Rebound With God
And when they feel God might reject them, they buddy up to their partner.
Your Brain Starts Faltering After You Reach Age ... 24
Sorry to break it to you, TSwift. At least in terms of cognitive functioning while playing StarCraft 2, you're finished.
Cavemen Were Awesome Parents
Toy hand axes, rock bashing, and special burials indicate that Neanderthals were cooler parents than previously thought, according to a new theory.
Is the Dog Poo Problem Solvable?
It's really complicated, researchers say. So probably not.
The Best Kind of Geography Is Beer Geography
University of Kentucky geographers used millions of geotagged tweets to produce fascinating beer maps of the United States.
Can Stigmas Help Fuel Disease Outbreaks?
In more primitive times, stigmatization used to be a helpful evolutionary adaptation. In a more civilized age, it could be an illness amplifier.
Why You Rarely Notice Major Movie Bloopers
The visual field accounts for the recent past in order to prevent us from feeling like we've gone mad.
Chemists Endorse Marinating Meat With Beer
It decreases the formation of carcinogenic material.
How Can Hotels Get People to Reuse Dirty Towels?
When it comes to driving pro-environmental behavior, provincial norms are the most effective.
Political Scientist Forecasted the Central African Republic Genocide
A conversation about the grim business of predicting mass atrocities.
Is There a Solution to America's Obsession With Lawn Care?
Irrigation and fertilization use varies across and even within cities. Sustainable management plans must rely on a more targeted approach.
Do 'Save Darfur' Facebook Members Really Care About Darfur?
A new analysis proves armchair activism is alive and well.
In Defense of Studying the Duck Penis
Duck penis expert Patricia Brennan offers a catalog of all the amazing things that would not exist without the pursuit of "oddball" biological research.
Are Male Professors More Collaborative?
Senior female psychology professors are less likely than their male counterparts to cooperate with their junior, same-gender colleagues on research.
Why Do Parents Murder Their Children?
Like everyone else, academics seem a bit mystified. Even Darwin's explanation is kind of weak.
The Strange Mystery of the Alien Bears of Bulgaria
New genetic analysis suggests that a deranged Romanian dictator, who relished bear hunting, flew them there.
How to Forecast Democracy After a Bloody Civil War
Aid from external rivals is a key variable that can complicate democratization.
Is Women's Underwear a Form of Cultural Capital?
A researcher offers some lofty theories about some pretty basic observations.