• U.S. Justice Department Sues UCLA Over Anti-Semitism Allegations

    Source: PBS News HourThe U.S. Justice Department is suing the University of California Los Angeles over allegations that the school failed to protect Jewish employees from antisemitic harassment amid pro-Palestinian protests that roiled the campus in 2023 and 2024. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in California, is the latest effort by the Trump administration to punish top universities that it says have been soft on antisemitism.
  • Senegal Prime Minister Proposes Doubling Jail Terms for Same-Sex Acts

    Source: DW- top storiesSenegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko unveiled legislation Tuesday to double the maximum penalty for same-sex relations. People are regularly arrested on such charges in traditionalist, Muslim-majority Senegal, where they face a prison sentence of up to five years. The prime minister said the bill changed the penal code to stipulate that any act "of a sexual nature between two people of the same sex constitutes an act against nature."
  • Grandiose Narcissists Tend to Show Reduced Neural Sensitivity to Errors

    Source: PsyPostTwo studies of students in the U.K. revealed that individuals with pronounced grandiose narcissism—characterized by a strong need for admiration and a tendency toward self-centeredness—tended to show blunted neural activity in response to errors. This blunting appears to be a mechanism that helps narcissists protect and bolster their positive self-views. The research was published in the Journal of Personality.
  • MLA Psychology Embarks on a New Chapter in Providing Accessible, High-Quality Mental Health Care in Australia

    MLA Psychology is pleased to announce the launching of something new and exciting that reflects its ongoing commitment to accessible, high-quality mental health care. [PR.com]
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  • How loose social ties can help heal political division | Eva M Meyersson Milgrom

    Weak connections known as ‘bridge ties’ cross the boundaries that normally structure our lives. We must restore this connective tissueThe first time a woman I’ll call Shoshana went toBrandi Carlile’s music festival, she arrived alone. She had just been through another unsuccessful round of IVF. During one of the songs, about motherhood, she began to cry in the middle of the crowd. Then two women she had never met stepped closer and wordlessly wrapped their arms around her
  • Teen Cannabis Use Doubles Psychosis and Bipolar Risk, Study Finds

    Source: Google News - HealthA massive study of over 460,000 adolescents suggests that even occasional cannabis use during teenage years is a major risk factor for severe mental illness. The research followed participants from age 13 through 26, revealing that those who used cannabis were twice as likely to develop psychotic or bipolar disorders, with the disorders typically emerging within two years of initial use, regardless of the teen's prior mental health history.
  • Common Pneumonia Bacterium May Fuel Alzheimer’s Disease

    Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA common bacterium best known for causing pneumonia and sinus infections may also play a surprising role in Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that Chlamydia pneumoniae can invade the retina and brain, where it sparks inflammation, nerve cell death, and the buildup of amyloid-beta—the hallmark protein linked to Alzheimer's. Higher levels of the bacterium were found in people with Alzheimer's and were tied to more severe cognitive decline.
  • Women and Men Both Show Biases in Rating Responses to Sexual Assault

    Source: PsyPostStudies on gender differences in perspective-taking suggest that accuracy may be domain-specific, especially in areas where men and women have divergent experiences. One such domain is sexual violence, where women have disproportionately experienced victimization. Accordingly, a new study finds that men tend to underestimate how upset women would feel after sexual assault by an intimate partner, whereas women tend to overestimate how upset men...
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  • Remembering Reverend Jesse Jackson, an American Original

    Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsIn 1988, the Reverend Jesse Jackson ended his outsider campaign for president with a stirring speech for the history books: "We must never surrender. America will get better and better. Keep hope alive! Keep hope alive! Keep hope alive!" In a decade when America was turning against big government, Jackson ran on a message of economic support and faith-based compassion for the working class and poor of all backgrounds. He called it his "Rainbow...
  • New Research Highlights the Enduring Distinctiveness of Marriage

    Source: PsyPostNew research suggests that when given the option between marriage and domestic partnership, same-sex couples in the United States overwhelmingly choose marriage. The findings, based on governmental data as well as national survey results, indicate that marriage retains a distinct and powerful status due to its legal benefits, social clarity, and perceived level of commitment. The new study appears in the Journal of Marriage and Family.
  • Ghana Taking Transatlantic Slavery Case to United Nations

    Source: DW- top storiesGhana's President Mahama has received the African Union's backing to ask the United Nations to recognize transatlantic slavery as the "gravest crime against humanity." With the support of 40 African Union members, Mahama says the "truth about the story of the transatlantic slave trade must be told." It's estimated that over 400 years, 15 million men, women, and children were kidnapped, most of whom were enslaved. Between 1.5 and 2 million died...
  • Former Top General Calls Removal of Trans Troops a Costly Mistake

    Source: NPRAs 71-year-old retired four star Gen. Stanley McChrystal approaches the podium, the room applauds. "I can't believe he's here," someone whispers. Almost as if he heard them, McChrystal says this into the microphone. "First off, we shouldn't be here." The "here" he refers to is a retirement ceremony for five transgender service members who have been forcibly separated from the military under the Trump administration's second ban, which he calls a...
  • My cultural awakening: Operation Mincemeat taught me how to cry – now I sob at everything

    A musical number about a woman’s letter to her husband on the second world war frontline unlocked my ability to blub – and made me a happier personI am sure I must have cried as a child, but by the time I was a teenager it had stopped. It was probably a boarding school thing. Very stiff upper lip. My parents are not the most emotionally available human beings, either. I like to tease them by saying: “I love you.” You can see the panic in their eyes. They will normally say
  • Tamakio M. Patterson Named a Woman of the Month for February 2026 by P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized)

    Tamakio M. Patterson of Stockbridge, Georgia, has been named a Woman of the Month for February 2026 by P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized). This distinction acknowledges her contributions and achievements in healthcare. Patterson will be featured on the P.O.W.E.R. website and in the Spring 2026 issue of P.O.W.E.R. Magazine, alongside other accomplished women who have demonstrated [PR.com]
  • What Is a Femcel? The Psychology of Female Celibates

    Source: PsyPostThe term "incel"—short for involuntary celibate—has become a fixture in public discourse, typically referring to men and a male subculture often linked to online misogyny and real-world acts of aggression. However, a parallel but distinct phenomenon has emerged that receives far less attention: the "femcel." Female involuntary celibates, or femcels, are women who feel they are unable to form romantic or sexual relationships despite wishing...
  • The Advantages of Human Language Being Messy

    Source: Science Daily - Social Psychology Human language may seem messy and inefficient compared to the ultra-compact strings of ones and zeros used by computers, but that messiness may actually be beneficial. New research published in Nature Human Behaviour reveals that while digital-style encoding could theoretically compress information more tightly, it would demand far more mental effort from both speaker and listener. Instead, language is built around familiar words and predictable...
  • Edward Deci, Pioneering Researcher on Human Motivation, Dies at 83

    Source: Social Psychology Network NewsEdward Deci, whose pioneering research on human motivation shaped generations of scholars, practitioners, and students worldwide, died February 14 at age 83. He was best known for his work on self-determination theory, which he cofounded with his colleague Richard Ryan. The theory became one of the most influential frameworks on human motivation and wellness in contemporary psychology, with its reach extending far beyond academic journals.
  • Inside voice: what can our thoughts reveal about the nature of consciousness? – podcast

    Scientists and philosophers studying the mind have discovered how little we know about our inner experiencesWritten and read by Michael Pollan Continue reading...
  • Trump's EPA Sued Over Repeal of Landmark Climate Finding

    Source: The Guardian - Climate CrisisMore than a dozen health and environmental justice nonprofits have sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its rollback of the legal finding that previously laid the foundation for U.S. federal climate regulations. Filed in Washington, DC, circuit court, the lawsuit challenges the EPA's repeal of the "endangerment finding," which states that the buildup of heat-trapping pollution in the atmosphere endangers public health and...
  • Workers Restore the Philadelphia President's House Slavery Exhibit

    Source: PBS News HourWorkers on Thursday began restoring an exhibit on the lives of nine enslaved people at former President George Washington's House in Philadelphia amid a legal fight between the city and the Trump administration. In her 40-page opinion, Senior U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe compared President Donald Trump's administration to the totalitarian regime in the dystopian novel "1984," which revised historical records to align with its narrative.
  • Microsoft Pledges $50 Billion to Counter Global AI Divide

    Source: United Press International - Health NewsMicrosoft announced Wednesday that it's allocating $50 billion over the next 10 years to combat artificial intelligence inequality in low-income nations. The company said it intends to bridge the AI divide among nations and ensure equal access to its potential benefits. Company officials revealed its plan at the AI Impact Summit in India. Microsoft said the Global North had nearly twice the amount of AI diffusion than the Global South at the end...
  • Climate Change Is Accelerating But Nature Seems to Be Slowing Down

    Source: Science Daily - Top NewsAs the planet warms, many scientists had expected ecosystems to change faster and faster. Instead, a massive global study suggests that species turnover has slowed by about one-third since the 1970s. As described in a new report published in Nature Communications, this unexpected slowdown may signal something alarming: ecosystems losing the biodiversity needed to remain responsive to external changes in habitat.
  • Meta No Longer Designs Apps to Maximize Screentime, CEO Claims

    Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - Top Stories NewsDuring a Wednesday court appearance, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg pushed back on a lawyer's suggestion that he had misled Congress about the design of the company's social media platforms, as ‌a landmark trial over youth social media addiction continues. Zuckerberg was questioned on the statements he gave to Congress during a 2024 hearing, when he said the company did not give its teams the goal of maximizing time spent on its apps.
  • AI Breakthrough Could Replace Rare Earth Magnets in Electric Vehicles

    Source: Science Daily - Top NewsScientists have unleashed artificial intelligence to dramatically speed up the hunt for next-generation magnetic materials. By building a massive, searchable database of 67,573 magnetic compounds—including 25 newly recognized materials that stay magnetic even at high temperatures—the team is opening the door to cheaper, more sustainable technologies. The new resource, called the Northeast Materials Database, was reported in the journal...
  • "Hallmark of Genocide" Found in Sudan, U.N. Report Concludes

    Source: United Nations NewsIn a report released Thursday, a United Nations fact-finding mission concluded that at least three underlying acts of genocide were committed in Sudan last year: "killing members of a protected ethnic group; causing serious bodily and mental harm; and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group's physical destruction." Genocidal intent, the report said, was "the only reasonable inference" from what took place.
  • Dr. Maria Hernandez-Lopez Named an Honored Member by P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized)

    Dr. Maria Hernandez-Lopez of South Pasadena, California, has been named an Honored Member by P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized) for her outstanding contributions and great success in the field of psychiatry. She will be featured in a full-page article in the upcoming spring 2026 issue of P.O.W.E.R. Magazine.About Dr. Maria Hernandez-Lopez Dr. Maria Hernandez-Lopez is a psychiatrist [PR.com]
  • Inside voice: what can our thoughts reveal about the nature of consciousness?

    Scientists and philosophers studying the mind have discovered how little we know about our inner experiencesWhat was I thinking? This is not as easy or straightforward a question as I would have thought. As soon as you try to record and categorise the contents of your consciousness – the sense impressions, feelings, words, images, daydreams, mind-​wanderings, ruminations, deliberations, observations, opinions, intuitions and occasional insights – you encounter far more question
  • U.S. Judge Orders Reinstatement of Washington Slavery Exhibit

    Source: DW- top storiesA federal judge has ruled that an exhibit about people enslaved by George Washington, the first president of the United States, must be temporarily restored at Washington's former home in Philadelphia. In her decision on Monday, U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe said that all materials must be restored in their original condition and compared Trump administration's efforts to sanitize history to Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's dystopian...
  • "Daunting But Doable": Europe Urged to Prepare for 3C of Global Heating

    Source: The Guardian - Climate CrisisKeeping Europe safe from extreme weather "is not rocket science," a top researcher has said, as the EU's climate advisory board urges countries to prepare for a catastrophic 3C of global heating. The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change describes current efforts to adapt to rising temperatures as "insufficient, largely incremental [and] often coming too late" and suggests preparing for a world 2.8-3.3C hotter than preindustrial...
  • Report Dismisses Claims That AI Can Help Fix Climate As Greenwashing

    Source: The Guardian - Climate CrisisThe claim that generative AI can help avert climate breakdown—made by several tech companies—is largely empty, according to a new report. The research, commissioned by nonprofits including Beyond Fossil Fuels and Climate Action Against Disinformation, did not find a single example where popular tools such as Google's Gemini or Microsoft's Copilot were leading to a "material, verifiable, and substantial" reduction in planet-heating emissions.
  • Glacier Grafting: How an Indigenous Art Is Countering Water Scarcity

    Source:Al JazeeraAs Pakistan grapples with the effects of rising temperatures that are melting its glaciers, residents in the country's high-altitude Himalayan region have adopted a traditional technique that dates back to the 14th century, known as glacier grafting, to counter water scarcity. Pakistan, home to an estimated 13,000 glaciers, ranks among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable nations, even though it contributes less than one percent of global...
  • Why Some Kids Struggle with Math Even When They Try Hard

    Source: Science Daily - Top SocietyA new study has found that math struggles may be about more than numbers. Children who had difficulty with math were less likely to change their thinking after making mistakes during number comparison tasks. Similarly, brain imaging showed weaker activity in regions that help monitor errors and guide behavioral changes. The results suggest that math difficulties may not only be about understanding numbers but about detecting errors and trying...
  • Dementia Risk Reduced by 25% With Specific Type of Brain Exercise

    Source: Google News - HealthResults from a randomized clinical trial reveal that a specific type of cognitive exercise can significantly reduce the risk of dementia. The study, which followed nearly 3,000 older adults for 20 years, found that with less than 24 hours of "speed of processing" training—exercises designed to sharpen visual attention and reaction time—people were 25% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia well into their 80s and 90s, compared to a...
  • Readers reply: can you acquire courage?

    The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions ponders how to overcome fear and do what is neededThis week’s question: what would be the most socially useful way to spend a billion dollars?Is it possible to acquire courage if you don’t have it? I was moved by the recent story of the Australian boy who swam to land for several hours in rough waters to raise the alarm that his mother and siblings had been swept out to sea. Despite his exhaustion, he then
  • ‘You think: Do I really need anyone?’ – the hidden burden of being a hyper-independent person

    Self-reliance is often encouraged over asking others for help in the modern world. But doing everything yourself can be a sign that you are scared of intimacyWhen a relative was seriously ill and in intensive care for more than a month, Cianne Jones stepped in. “I took it upon myself to be that person in the hospital every single day – chasing doctors, taking notes, making sure I understood why they were doing things.” It was so stressful, she says, that at one point her hair s
  • U.S. Pressures Vanuatu Over ICJ’s Landmark Climate Change Ruling

    Source:Al JazeeraThe United States is urging governments to pressure Vanuatu to withdraw a United Nations draft resolution supporting a landmark International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that countries have a legal obligation to act on climate change. A U.S. government cable says the Trump administration "strongly objects" to the proposed resolution being circulated by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu in support of last year's ruling by the ICJ—the UN's...
  • Trump Calls Climate Change Threat to Public Health "a Scam"

    Source: PBS News HourThe White House revoked a scientific finding Thursday that climate change is a danger to public health, an idea President Donald Trump called "a scam." But repeated scientific studies have documented the harm. Again and again, research has found increasing disease and deaths—thousands every year—in a warming world. For example, a 2021 study in Nature Climate Change estimated that over a third of heat deaths in 43 countries were due to...
  • Oxylon Wellness Announces Grand Opening Event & Partnership with RennerVation Foundation

    Oxylon Wellness will officially launch on March 24, 2026, celebrating its mission to advance oxygen-based wellness while announcing a philanthropic partnership with Jeremy Renner’s RennerVation Foundation to support and empower youth. [PR.com]
  • U.S. Report Finds Children With Mental Health Diagnoses Often Incarcerated

    Source: NPRA new bipartisan report from Congress has raised the alarm about children with mental health conditions being held in juvenile detention, rather than getting treatment. "Prolonged Incarceration of Children Due to Mental Health Care Shortages," released Thursday, found that dozens of juvenile detention centers in 25 states reported holding children weeks or months as they awaited space at long-term psychiatric treatment facilities.
  • Depression and Other Disorders May Share Common Genetic Roots

    Source: APA PsycPORT™: Psychology NewswirePsychiatric disorders can share common genetic influences, which means parts of DNA can be at the root of more than one mental condition, new research has found. The study, based on DNA data from 6 million people and published in Nature, could explain why many mental health conditions occur together. "By uncovering shared genetic roots, we can start thinking about treatments that target multiple disorders," said one of the authors in a press...
  • Trump Orders Pentagon to Buy Electricity Generated by Coal

    Source:Al JazeeraU.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to buy electricity generated by coal—his latest effort to boost demand for the fossil fuel amid its declining cost competitiveness and climate change concerns. In an executive order signed on Wednesday, Trump directed the U.S. Department of Defense to enter into long-term purchase agreements with coal-fired plants and prioritize the "preservation and strategic utilization" of "coal-based...
  • Dissociation Is Not the Coping Mechanism It's Assumed to Be

    Source: Association for Psychological SciencePeople often use the term "dissociating" to mean zoning out or distracting oneself from the troubles of the world or their personal situation—a coping mechanism useful in times of stress. But to psychological scientists, dissociating refers to something more extreme. Most adults experience little to no dissociation, but it's frequently reported in clinical populations, according to an upcoming journal article in Clinical Psychological Science.
  • Vance Deleted Message Referring to "Armenian Genocide." Here's Why.

    Source: PBS News HourU.S. Vice President JD Vance's team posted and then deleted a message on social media about the Republican's visit to a memorial paying tribute to early 20th century Armenians killed by the Ottoman Empire. The issue was the post using the term "Armenian genocide," a designation the U.S. government historically has not used for what happened—except for the Biden administration. The White House blamed the post on a staff mistake.
  • Instagram CEO Denies Social Media App Can Be "Clinically Addictive"

    Source: Google News - HealthAdam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, testified Wednesday that he does not think users can be "clinically addicted" to the social media app. Mosseri is the first executive to testify in the landmark social media addiction trial against YouTube and Instagram parent company Meta in a suit brought by a now 20-year-old woman who alleges the companies intentionally developed addictive features to hook young users, which she claims harmed her mental...
  • Psychiatric drugs aren’t always the answer | Letter

    Talking therapies have made huge progress and should be more widely available, writes Ann Marie TaylorYes, there has been a shocking lack of progress in developing transformative psychiatric medicine (We need new drugs for mental ill-health, 5 February), but this may be because in mental health, drugs are not always the answer (see, for example, Richard P Bentall’s Doctoring the Mind).Huge progress has been made in the effectiveness of talking therapies – for example, free effec
  • EPA to End "Endangerment Finding" and Funding to Protect Climate

    Source: United Press International - Health NewsU.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials say they will be ending a 2009 declaration that says climate change is a danger to public health. Revoking "the endangerment finding"—which is expected to happen this week—removes the EPA's statutory authority to regulate motor vehicle emissions that was provided by the Clean Air Act of 1970, an EPA spokesperson told The Hill. Under that act, the EPA regulates vehicle emissions thought to..
  • This Bedroom Temperature Could Help Older Adults Sleep With Less Stress

    Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA cooler bedroom might be better for older sleepers than previously thought. Researchers found that keeping nighttime temperatures at 75°F reduced stress responses and helped the heart work more efficiently during sleep. Hot nights usually force the heart to work harder, interfering with recovery. As climate change drives warmer nights, this small adjustment could make a big difference.
  • Racist Attitudes Predict Increased Mental Distress Over Time

    Source: PsyPostNew research published in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry challenges the common belief that mental illness is a primary driver of racist attitudes. The findings suggest that the relationship actually works in the opposite direction, with prejudiced beliefs predicting an increase in psychological distress over time. The study also documented that a lack of social connection is correlated with both prejudice and mental health struggles.
  • Trump Administration Takes Down Rainbow Flag at Stonewall Monument

    Source: PBS News HourThe Trump administration has stopped flying a rainbow flag at the Stonewall National Monument, angering activists who see the move as a swipe at the country's first national monument to LGBTQ+ history. The multicolored flag was quietly removed in recent days from a flagpole on the National Park Service-run site across the street from the Stonewall Inn, the gay bar where patrons' rebellion against a police raid helped launch the modern LGBTQ+...
  • Poll Reveals Depth of Americans' Gloom About the Future

    Source: PBS News HourIn 2025, only 59% of Americans gave high ratings when asked to evaluate how good their life will be in about five years—the lowest annual measure since Gallup began asking this question almost 20 years ago. When Americans are feeling good about the present, they usually tend to feel optimistic about the future. But the most recent measures show not only a decline in life satisfaction over the past decade, but that future optimism has dropped...

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