Is This the “Anthropocene” Epoch? Nope, Geologists Say.
The Wall, a geologic feature of eroded Talampaya Formation sandstone in Talampaya National Park, Argentina.Jon G. Fuller This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The guardians of the world’s official geological timescale have firmly rejected a proposal to declare an Anthropocene epoch, after an epic academic row. The…
Let’s Not Take Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pills for Granted
Bettmann/Getty Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.Last July, in a win for reproductive justice advocates, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill. This week, the progestin-only pill, Opill, shipped to retailers like CVS and Walgreens. It’s expected to be…
What if Everything We Are Told to Think About Periods Is Wrong?
Mother Jones; Talia Herman Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.Periods are an undeniable part of most women’s lives, but for the bulk of history, science has only really cared about women’s reproductive tracts for one reason: “improving pregnancy outcomes,” writes Jen Gunter in her…
A New Study on Medication Abortion Refutes the Arguments Conservatives Are Taking to the Supreme Court
A new study refutes some of the arguments that are the basis of a forthcoming Supreme Court case seeking to restrict access to abortion pills.Alejandro Alvarez/Sipa USA/AP Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.A key argument from anti-abortion activists bringing a case to the Supreme Court is…
Are Ocean Plastics Cleanup Efforts Helping—or Hurting?
Workers for environmental nonprofit, The Ocean Cleanup. Cover Images/ZUMA This story was originally published by Slate and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Rebecca Helm despises the phrase “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” This moniker is used to describe the vast stretch of ocean from the West Coast of North America to Japan that is…
Massive Global Study Shows “Rapid and Accelerating” Groundwater Loss
David Roth, President of the Cecelia Packing, in front of a new orange crop after the Central Valley region’s catastrophic water shortages.Renée C. Byer/ZUMA This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Groundwater supplies are dwindling in aquifers around the world, a groundbreaking new study found,…