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Please join us to hear from Owen Gaffney, a global sustainability analyst, writer, and head of media at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. This talk will be a wake-up call, a call to action, and an antidote to despair! There is no charge for this online event but you must register in advance: Our speaker will discuss “the state of the planet’s health” from a scientific point of view. We will gain an understanding of where humans have and have not exceeded the capacity of the planet to support life, as illustrated in the book "Breaking Boundaries" which Owen co-authored with Johan Rockstrom. This book surveys the latest thinking in planetary science as published in the peer-reviewed Nature and Science magazines. We will also learn about Owen’s latest book, "Earth for All", which will be published on September 19th. A collaboration with five other authors, it uses a unique analysis to answer the question, “What is required for all of humanity to have a good life within planetary boundaries”? Owen will take us through the five extraordinary turnarounds needed to achieve this goal. There will be time for questions from the audience.

Scientists have used a gene-editing technique to make mosquitos allies in the fight against malaria. Environmentalists are troubled by the idea of genetically modifying wild animals.

Research conducted at the height of the 2020 election reveals new details about how Facebook's algorithms handle political content. But it suggests there are no easy fixes to political polarization.

Join the Women’s Museum of California for a virtual lunchtime lecture on Tuesday, December 13 featuring artist/activist Desiree Aspires. Learn about the intersection of art and activism and how Desiree founded Printmakers Against Racism during the pandemic and raised over $50,000 for Black Lives Matter and other causes. Register for the talk in advance to be sent the Zoom link. Desiree Aspiras (she/her) is an educator, therapist, and printmaker in San Diego who deeply values how art can transform us and connect us to meaning. Her printmaking and book arts projects have been exhibited in spaces in San Diego, including the Athenaeum Art Center. She is the founder of Printmakers Against Racism, a project she started which engages printmakers across the world to make and sell prints and donate their proceeds to support racial justice. She is also a mindfulness facilitator and founder of Deep Breath Network, where she hopes to create diverse and welcoming spaces to share contemplative practices to support personal and social transformation with changemakers here in San Diego and beyond. She currently teaches at University of San Diego and Bastyr University California. She earned her Masters in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego and BA in Political Science from UCLA.

Help document California's incredible coastal biodiversity and take part in this year's Snapshot Cal Coast with a BioBlitz! Library staff will teach you how to use iNaturalist to make observations of the plants and animals you see at the beach. Snapshot Cal Coast is an annual California statewide community science effort that encourages people to make and share observations of plants, animals, and seaweeds along the California coast using the iNaturalist app. Led by the California Academy of Sciences with support from the California Ocean Protection Council, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the MPA (Marine Protected Area) Collaborative Network, and an array of other partners, we are creating a valuable snapshot in time of where species are located along our coast. Make sure to download the free iNaturalist app and bring your device to participate! Look for the Library's green pop-up near the main lifeguard tower. We will have specimens from the San Diego Natural History Museum for folks to view!

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are considered "outstanding works of human genius." There are now 25 in the U.S., including the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon.

State and federal governments have made hundreds of millions of dollars available to pay for Grow Your Own teacher programs. But researchers say it's unclear whether they actually work.

Patients who have digestive symptoms only after eating red meat may have developed an allergy caused by ticks. The CDC says hundreds of thousands of people may have been affected over the past decade.

New research puts stark numbers on a well-known disparity: poor and vulnerable communities suffer over 90% of deaths associated with major storms.

Andrea Barajas was emotional when she learned she'd received the award. "I just started crying," she said.