HYPNOSIS COULD WORK WONDERS ON IBS // The Atlantic // As far-fetched as it may seem, research suggests that hypnotherapy can help patients find relief from all sorts of gut disorders.

BOOM OR BUST // The Assembly // Boom Supersonic could make North Carolina not just first in flight, but fastest. Yet experts question whether the startup’s supersonic jetliner will ever take off.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A WITCH TODAY? // Smithsonian // A new exhibition on the Salem witch trials explores how the meaning of the word “witch” has evolved through the centuries.

THIS ANCIENT FERTILIZER IS A SKELETON KEY FOR SAVING EARTH // The Daily Beast // Biochar has been used in agriculture for millennia, but industrial applications and a growing climate crisis mean it’s in new demand.

MEET THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST WHO WANTS TO DECOLONIZE CONSERVATION // Teen Vogue // Indigenous people are “seen as research subjects rather than researchers.”

THEY SURVIVED THE WILDFIRES. THEN CAME THE PTSD. // Mother Jones // The trauma of extreme climate events is exacerbating mental illness.

CLIMATE MIGRATION HAS COME TO THE UNITED STATES // The Nation // After living through a spate of record-breaking wildfires, some Californians are opting to leave the state

OIL AND GAS COMPANIES ARE MAKING OLD PIPELINES THE LANDOWNER’S PROBLEM // Popular Science // In the US, private residents end up footing the bill to prevent further eyesores and pollution

WHAT COVID-19 MEANS FOR COASTAL CLEANUPS // Hakai // The pandemic is adding an asterisk to a 30-year data set on plastic pollution

WHEN MICHIGAN STUDENTS PUT A CAR ON TRIAL // Smithsonian // In a famous 1970 teach-in demonstration, prosecutors hammered away at the nation’s most powerful defendant

WHAT MADE LUCRETIA MOTT ONE OF THE FIERCEST OPPONENTS OF SLAVERY AND SEXISM // Smithsonian // Her humble Quaker upbringing taught her how to stand up for her beliefs

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PEANUT BUTTER // Smithsonian // The bizarre sanitarium staple that became a spreadable obsession

THE RESIDENTS SETTING CALIFORNIA ON FIRE IN ORDER TO SAVE IT // Medium // To live with fire, locals are learning to wield it for good

AN ‘INDUSTRIAL-SCALE GLADE PLUG-IN’ MASKS ODORS FROM L.A.’S URBAN OIL FIELDS // Medium // Public health advocates express concern that the industrial odorizers could be harmful to human health

AS CALIFORNIA BURNS, CUSTOMERS FLOCK TO BATTERIES AND SOLAR // Medium // Power outages in the fire-prone state could mean big business for rooftop solar and storage systems

JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER ON OUR MORAL OBLIGATION TO EAT BETTER // The New Republic // The writer’s second book on animal agriculture asks readers to take a hard look at their own role in the climate crisis.

THE LEGACY OF NITROGEN POLLUTION // Eos // Researchers track decades of nitrogen inputs and uptake across the United States, highlighting the need for policy to address the legacy effects of this essential nutrient and pollutant.

DEFORESTATION COULD EXACERBATE DROUGHT IN THE AMAZON // Eos // Researchers use high-resolution satellite images to parse the effects of land use changes on the energy balance between the rain forest and the atmosphere.

DIVERTING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER MAY NOT SAVE LOUISIANA’S COAST // Eos // New research finds that man-made river diversions have previously led to land losses.

STANDARDIZED LABELS COULD DRASTICALLY REDUCE FOOD WASTE // Bloomberg // Give consumers a better sense of how long their food keeps, and the climate will benefit.

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON EXERCISE // Outside // Exercise is as good for your brain as it is for your body, and researchers are just beginning to discover why.

THE FRONT LINES OF STRESS MANAGEMENT // Outside // The unexpected techniques and technologies that military service members and veterans are using to cope with stress and its related disorders.

‘THE OCEAN IS BOILING’ // Pacific Standard // The complete oral history of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill.

A MASSIVE PIPELINE IS BEING PLANNED IN OREGON. BUT LOCAL LANDOWNERS WON'T GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT. // Pacific Standard // A proposed natural gas pipeline is uniting Oregonians across the political spectrum.

BIG OIL'S BLACK MARK ON CALIFORNIA'S CLIMATE RECORD // Pacific Standard // The state's oil regulator has the dual burden of facilitating oil development while protecting the environment and public health. Can it do both?

CALIFORNIA'S LOOMING WATER POLLUTION PROBLEM // Pacific Standard // In California's Central Valley, the oil industry has been dumping wastewater into unlined—and under-regulated—ponds, threatening the state's limited groundwater and the humans who rely on it.

THE GREAT, CHAOTIC BIOCHAR EXPERIMENT // Pacific Standard // Australian plant ecologist Brenton Ladd wants to reengineer the notoriously nutrient-poor soils in the Amazon, and, in the process, save the world's trees.

COULD CLIMATE CHANGE SAVE THE UNITED STATES' NUCLEAR ENERGY INDUSTRY? // Pacific Standard // The Three Mile Island partial meltdown led the U.S. away from nuclear. Global warming might bring it back.