ShadeLA, a new USC-led initiative, unites civic, academic and community partners to expand urban tree canopy and shade infrastructure — building lasting heat resilience for Angelenos well beyond 2028.

Delinking pharmacy middlemen compensation from list prices and shifting to transparent, fair payment models would reduce annual drug spending by nearly $100 billion, a new USC Schaeffer Center analysis finds. 

A new international study led by Kaunas University of Technology reveals that digital mental health start-ups reaching unicorn status tend to secure private funding early, prioritise simple, scalable services, and use subscription models –  while reliance on state funding may actually hinder growth. The research, based on 125 ventures (including 12 unicorns), suggests success stems from strategic, complementary choices rather than technological complexity alone. Researchers call for a shift in European investment policy to focus more on market relevance and user impact rather than deep tech or rigid scientific criteria.

A nuclear winter is a theoretical concept, but if the climate scenario expected to follow a large-scale nuclear war, in which smoke and soot from firestorms block sunlight, came to fruition, global temperatures would sharply drop, extinguishing most agriculture. A nuclear winter could last for more than a decade, potentially leading to widespread famine for those who survive the devastation of the bomb blasts. Now, a team led by researchers at Penn State have modeled precisely how various nuclear winter scenarios could impact global production of corn — the most widely planted grain crop in the world. They also recommended preparing “agricultural resilience kits” with seeds for faster-growing varieties better adapted to colder temperatures that could potentially help offset the impact of nuclear winter, as well as natural disasters like volcanic eruptions. 

An analysis of data collected over 20 years in the upper stretch of the river shows a 50% loss in economic gains from fishing. Native fish have become smaller and smaller. Conversely, invasive species, which have a lower market value, are becoming more abundant. The phenomenon has been accompanied by a loss of vegetation cover on the riverbanks.