United States

Teal Wand - Pap smear alternative

The U.S. FDA approves first at-home tool as a Pap-smear alternative

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Traditionally, gynecologists have inserted a cold metal speculum deep into a woman’s vagina to scrape cells from the cervix. The Teal Wand — “built with empathy” by California-based Teal Health — uses a swab to collect a vaginal sample. Women will then mail the sample to a lab that will screen for HPV (human papillomavirus), the virus that causes nearly all cervical cancers. The FDA approval follows a U.S.-based study that found at-home screening was just as effective as that done in a doctor’s office.

Baltimore reports historic drop in homicide rates

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Thousands of Arizonans now have a financial burden lifted off their shoulders, Gov. Katie Hobbs has announced. According to the Democratic governor, $429 million in medical debt has been erased for more than 352,000 Arizonans as part of a partnership between her administration and national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt. In 2024, Hobbs announced an initiative to erase $2 billion in medical debt for up to one million Arizonans.

Illustration of intestines

Fecal transplants reduce alcohol cravings as human trials progress

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Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have found that fecal transplants may help those suffering from severe alcohol use disorder. The work points to a compelling relationship between the gut microbiome and addiction disorders, with large-scale Phase 2 human trials currently underway. Nine of 10 patients who received a transplant had a reduction in their cravings and in the urine measurement of alcohol-related metabolites, compared to only three of the 10 placebo subjects displaying similar levels of improvement.

Kenyan Parliament building in Nairobi at dusk for an article about transgender rights Kenya

Spokane passes LGBTQ+ rights ordinance to protect trans folks from the federal government

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Council members voted 5-2 to implement the ordinance, which updates the Washington State city’s human rights code to define gender-affirming care and ensure equal protections for LGBTQ+ people. The policy “prohibits the city from collecting or disseminating information about anyone’s sex assigned at birth, unless it’s related to a criminal investigation.” The ordinance also requires city-provided healthcare to cover gender-affirming care. Council members celebrated the city living up to its motto: “In Spokane, we all belong.”

Illustration of brain

Psilocybe fungi are an effective treatment for repeated concussions, new study suggests

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A new study from Boston’s Northeastern University has found that “magic mushrooms” could be an effective treatment for concussions because of their brain-healing properties. Rats given the medicinal fungi post-head injury showed reduced edema and “dramatic hyperconnectivity” in parts of the brain that are pathways for dopamine. The researchers said that the hyperconnected dopaminergic pathways could indicate neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to reorganize itself in response to injury.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms on a surface for an article about psilocybin therapy legalization in New Mexico

New Mexico becomes the third U.S. state to legalize psilocybin therapy

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New Mexico’s Medical Psilocybin Act makes the state the third in the U.S. to legalize psilocybin therapy, but its path stands apart from Oregon and Colorado. Rather than a ballot measure, the legislation passed through the state legislature with an overwhelming bipartisan margin of 56 to 8 in the House. The law creates a regulated clinical framework for treating PTSD, treatment-resistant depression, and other conditions, with a dedicated 30,000 equity fund to subsidize access for low-income patients. That combination of legislative flexibility and built-in affordability measures offers a replicable model for other states watching closely.

Solar panels and wind turbines generating power on open land for an article about U.S. clean electricity

Fossil fuels fall below half of U.S. electricity for the first time on record

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U.S. clean electricity reached a historic milestone in April 2025, when fossil fuels dropped below 50% of American electricity generation for the first time since the coal-powered grid emerged in the 1800s. According to energy research firm Ember, coal, oil, and natural gas fell to roughly 47% of total generation, with wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear powering the rest. This shift was driven by a 90% drop in wind and solar costs since 2010, triggering sustained investment now visible in real grid output. The milestone matters because it breaks the long-held assumption that fossil fuels are the inevitable backbone of modern electricity.

Chevron gas station located near a Louisiana wetlands restoration project site along the coast

Chevron ordered to pay $740 million to restore Louisiana coast in landmark trial

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Louisiana wetlands restoration won a historic boost when a jury ordered Chevron to pay $744.6 million — a total that climbs above $1.1 billion with interest — for damage done to Plaquemines Parish marshes. The case traced decades of harm back to Texaco, which dredged canals and dumped industrial wastewater into the marsh starting in the 1940s, ignoring a 1978 state law that required cleanup. It’s the first of dozens of similar lawsuits to reach trial, and the reasoning could shape cases across the coast for years. For a majority-Black parish that fought for over a decade to be heard, the verdict is more than money — it’s a signal that frontline communities can hold polluters accountable, and that courts are becoming real tools for environmental justice worldwide.

Prairie Land Potawatomi Nation's Chief Shab-eh-nay

Illinois returns stolen land to Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

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The Prairie Land Potawatomi Nation has reclaimed land in Illinois that was promised to the tribe’s leader 175 years ago but stolen by the federal government 20 years later. A law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker last week transferred Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area, 1,500 acres in north-central Illinois. “We are proud to once again call this land home,” said Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick, chairman of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation based in Mayetta, Kansas.

Satellite from above with Earth below|nasa unsplash

First Earth Fire Alliance satellite for detecting wildfires is now in orbit

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The FireSat constellation, which will consist of more than 50 satellites when it goes live, is the first of its kind that’s built to detect and track fires. It’s an initiative launched by nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance, which includes Google and Muon Space as partners, among others. According to Google, current satellite systems rely on low-resolution imagery and cover a particular area only once every 12 hours to spot large wildfires spanning a couple of acres. FireSat will be able to detect wildfires as small as the size of a classroom and deliver high-resolution visual updates every 20 minutes.