Jason Pohl
@jasonpohl.bsky.social
Science writer/media relations at UC Berkeley focused on social sciences + public health | Former newspaper reporter | Current ultramarathon runner/coach
People say they care deeply about civil rights. But surprisingly, framing modern causes as matters of civil rights actually "backfires," according to a new study. Why? And what does it mean for advocates on all sides of the political spectrum? news.berkeley.edu/2025/06/20/n...
New research says framing protests as fights for civil rights 'backfires.' So what might work? - Berkeley News
Kim Voss, a UC Berkeley professor of sociology, says appeals rooted in American values may be more effective today than those evoking memories of the Civil Rights Movement.
news.berkeley.edu
June 20, 2025 at 7:06 PM
People say they care deeply about civil rights. But surprisingly, framing modern causes as matters of civil rights actually "backfires," according to a new study. Why? And what does it mean for advocates on all sides of the political spectrum? news.berkeley.edu/2025/06/20/n...
Incredibly important perspectives and insights here: UC Berkeley experts react to U.S. Supreme Court ruling on medical care for trans minors
news.berkeley.edu/2025/06/18/u...
news.berkeley.edu/2025/06/18/u...
UC Berkeley experts react to U.S. Supreme Court ruling on medical care for trans minors - Berkeley News
Scholars across a range of fields assessed a case of enormous significance that could affect not only transgender youth, but possibly also reproductive policy on abortion, contraception and in vitro f...
news.berkeley.edu
June 20, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Incredibly important perspectives and insights here: UC Berkeley experts react to U.S. Supreme Court ruling on medical care for trans minors
news.berkeley.edu/2025/06/18/u...
news.berkeley.edu/2025/06/18/u...
“If not leverageable for the sake of agenda-setting or even tone-setting to the public, the population is completely forgotten,” said Stephanie L. Canizales, a UC Berkeley sociologist and leading expert on undocumented youth.
“And that really haunts me.” news.berkeley.edu/2025/04/24/t...
“And that really haunts me.” news.berkeley.edu/2025/04/24/t...
To understand immigration today, a UC Berkeley sociologist documented 200 personal stories - Berkeley News
Stephanie L. Canizales spent years interviewing undocumented young people. She says their accounts matter — especially in today's chaotic world.
news.berkeley.edu
April 24, 2025 at 7:34 PM
“If not leverageable for the sake of agenda-setting or even tone-setting to the public, the population is completely forgotten,” said Stephanie L. Canizales, a UC Berkeley sociologist and leading expert on undocumented youth.
“And that really haunts me.” news.berkeley.edu/2025/04/24/t...
“And that really haunts me.” news.berkeley.edu/2025/04/24/t...
Need a break from doomscrolling? Me too.
So here's a story on the intersection of Egyptology, Reddit, chemistry, wellness grifts and the outsized effect a cringey 1990s psychedelics documentary on the famed blue lotus had on one UC Berkeley student's future. news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/11/i...
So here's a story on the intersection of Egyptology, Reddit, chemistry, wellness grifts and the outsized effect a cringey 1990s psychedelics documentary on the famed blue lotus had on one UC Berkeley student's future. news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/11/i...
Investigating the psychedelic blue lotus of Egypt, where ancient magic meets modern science - Berkeley News
Online, products branded as the blue lotus promise calm moments and psychedelic trips. But they're far different from what ancient Egyptians consumed, a UC Berkeley student researcher says.
news.berkeley.edu
March 12, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Need a break from doomscrolling? Me too.
So here's a story on the intersection of Egyptology, Reddit, chemistry, wellness grifts and the outsized effect a cringey 1990s psychedelics documentary on the famed blue lotus had on one UC Berkeley student's future. news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/11/i...
So here's a story on the intersection of Egyptology, Reddit, chemistry, wellness grifts and the outsized effect a cringey 1990s psychedelics documentary on the famed blue lotus had on one UC Berkeley student's future. news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/11/i...
"Over the past several weeks, we have seen events of world-historical proportions," a UC Berkeley expert on Russian aggression and the war in Ukraine said. "The United States has switched sides."
A revealing Q&A here on fast-changing foreign policy: news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/07/a...
A revealing Q&A here on fast-changing foreign policy: news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/07/a...
As Trump upends foreign policy, Berkeley scholar sees irreparable damage to U.S. power and prestige - Berkeley News
M. Steven Fish, a professor of political science, explains how the Trump administration is reshaping long-time alliances and what's at stake for the future of U.S. leadership in the world.
news.berkeley.edu
March 10, 2025 at 8:58 PM
"Over the past several weeks, we have seen events of world-historical proportions," a UC Berkeley expert on Russian aggression and the war in Ukraine said. "The United States has switched sides."
A revealing Q&A here on fast-changing foreign policy: news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/07/a...
A revealing Q&A here on fast-changing foreign policy: news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/07/a...
One student escaped civil war by traversing mountains in Ethiopia. Another barely fled fighting in Burundi. Two more spent years in a massive refugee camp in Kenya.
Now they're studying at UC Berkeley.
It was such a privilege to get to know these four students: news.berkeley.edu/2025/02/20/a...
Now they're studying at UC Berkeley.
It was such a privilege to get to know these four students: news.berkeley.edu/2025/02/20/a...
After life as refugees, these UC Berkeley students strive to tackle global problems - Berkeley News
"The only way to beat ignorance is through education," said one of the students in the Robinson International Scholars Program, which supports students from sub-Saharan Africa.
news.berkeley.edu
February 24, 2025 at 7:25 PM
One student escaped civil war by traversing mountains in Ethiopia. Another barely fled fighting in Burundi. Two more spent years in a massive refugee camp in Kenya.
Now they're studying at UC Berkeley.
It was such a privilege to get to know these four students: news.berkeley.edu/2025/02/20/a...
Now they're studying at UC Berkeley.
It was such a privilege to get to know these four students: news.berkeley.edu/2025/02/20/a...
I wrote a palate cleanser to cope with the chaos of the past few weeks. It was a helpful reminder that lots of people are genuinely trying to do meaningful and good things that might seem small but actually have very real effects. news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/28/w...
When student stress levels are high, this UC Berkeley program turns to exercise as medicine - Berkeley News
Exercise is Medicine On Campus is an increasingly popular health, wellness and research initiative, providing hundreds of students consultations with coaches and mentors each year.
news.berkeley.edu
January 28, 2025 at 6:55 PM
I wrote a palate cleanser to cope with the chaos of the past few weeks. It was a helpful reminder that lots of people are genuinely trying to do meaningful and good things that might seem small but actually have very real effects. news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/28/w...
"We should require these highly profitable companies to compensate communities, homeowners, businesses and even insurers for the losses," UC Berkeley's Dave Jones says in this sharp opinion piece today. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/o...
Opinion | Oil and Gas Companies Should Pay for the Los Angeles Fires (Gift Article)
It’s time to require these companies to compensate communities, homeowners, businesses and even insurers for the losses.
www.nytimes.com
January 22, 2025 at 6:19 PM
"We should require these highly profitable companies to compensate communities, homeowners, businesses and even insurers for the losses," UC Berkeley's Dave Jones says in this sharp opinion piece today. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/o...
Can California's "insurer of last resort" handle the expected deluge of claims? What is the FAIR Plan anyway? And what the heck does Florida have to do with all of this?
My Q&A with CA's former insurance commissioner, who's now at UC Berkeley: news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/14/w...
My Q&A with CA's former insurance commissioner, who's now at UC Berkeley: news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/14/w...
What's next for home insurance in California after the Los Angeles fires? - Berkeley News
UC Berkeley's Dave Jones, the former insurance commissioner of California, explains the stakes of the current wildfire emergency and what might happen next.
news.berkeley.edu
January 14, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Can California's "insurer of last resort" handle the expected deluge of claims? What is the FAIR Plan anyway? And what the heck does Florida have to do with all of this?
My Q&A with CA's former insurance commissioner, who's now at UC Berkeley: news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/14/w...
My Q&A with CA's former insurance commissioner, who's now at UC Berkeley: news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/14/w...
Toxic air and soil. Fragile housing markets. Insurance chaos. And the role of climate fiction in grappling with the climate crisis.
Tons of interesting insights here, with more to come: news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/10/h...
Tons of interesting insights here, with more to come: news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/10/h...
Health, housing and the path ahead: UC Berkeley researchers on the Los Angeles fires - Berkeley News
As a series of historic fires continue to burn in L.A., scholars offer insight into their causes and fallout.
news.berkeley.edu
January 13, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Toxic air and soil. Fragile housing markets. Insurance chaos. And the role of climate fiction in grappling with the climate crisis.
Tons of interesting insights here, with more to come: news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/10/h...
Tons of interesting insights here, with more to come: news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/10/h...
Was Trump's California bashing this week a glimpse of what's to come? UC Berkeley experts say yes. But how consequential it is on environmental policy, immigration and public health remains a bit — perhaps a lot — more nuanced. news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/10/t...
Trump may be planning a sharp, extended conflict with California, experts say - Berkeley News
Donald Trump does not hide his disdain for California and its perceived progressive values. Now UC Berkeley analysts say he may be planning an offensive against the state that extends from public heal...
news.berkeley.edu
January 10, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Was Trump's California bashing this week a glimpse of what's to come? UC Berkeley experts say yes. But how consequential it is on environmental policy, immigration and public health remains a bit — perhaps a lot — more nuanced. news.berkeley.edu/2025/01/10/t...
As someone who grew up in — and was once evacuated from — a mobile home park in the SoCal mountains, this important piece hits hard.
Read this heartbreaking piece about a mobile home park in LA that burned. It does something rare - explains why parks are so often refuges for families priced out of other neighborhoods: www.wsj.com/us-news/a-ra...
A Rare Middle-Class Paradise in L.A. Was Swept Away by Flames
Fire destroyed Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates, a mobile-home park that offered a middle-class beachfront life in the heart of a wealthy Los Angeles enclave.
www.wsj.com
January 10, 2025 at 9:54 PM
As someone who grew up in — and was once evacuated from — a mobile home park in the SoCal mountains, this important piece hits hard.
"Catastrophic fire erases what was there before. So does forgetting. Memory is a resource for facing the future ... We cannot know the future, but remembering the past with care and accuracy equips us to navigate it."
I wrote a thing, because these fires are in the increasingly common category of shocking but not surprising. Neither unprecedented nor unforeseen by those who study the subjects.....
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The chronicle of a fire foretold | Rebecca Solnit
The current fires in Los Angeles are reminders of the costs of forgetting
www.theguardian.com
January 10, 2025 at 5:18 PM
"Catastrophic fire erases what was there before. So does forgetting. Memory is a resource for facing the future ... We cannot know the future, but remembering the past with care and accuracy equips us to navigate it."
Reposted by Jason Pohl
Here's the reality about the #LAFires this week: this isn't the first time ANY of these places have burned. Not even close. In 2018, we mapped CA fire history to look at fire frequency across SoCal. Santa Monica Mtns area burns more than anywhere else -- up to once per decade in a given spot. 🧵
January 9, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Here's the reality about the #LAFires this week: this isn't the first time ANY of these places have burned. Not even close. In 2018, we mapped CA fire history to look at fire frequency across SoCal. Santa Monica Mtns area burns more than anywhere else -- up to once per decade in a given spot. 🧵
Attn: Reporters covering the Los Angeles fires:
My team built a page of UC Berkeley wildfire experts, contact info and research focuses. There's experts on WUI, urban fires, smoke dangers, air quality, forest management, wildfire modeling, and more! news.berkeley.edu/expert-topic...
My team built a page of UC Berkeley wildfire experts, contact info and research focuses. There's experts on WUI, urban fires, smoke dangers, air quality, forest management, wildfire modeling, and more! news.berkeley.edu/expert-topic...
Wildfire experts - Berkeley News
UC Berkeley is home to numerous experts who can assist reporters cover wildfires and their health effects. Journalists needing additional sources or assistance: Email news@berkeley.edu.
news.berkeley.edu
January 8, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Attn: Reporters covering the Los Angeles fires:
My team built a page of UC Berkeley wildfire experts, contact info and research focuses. There's experts on WUI, urban fires, smoke dangers, air quality, forest management, wildfire modeling, and more! news.berkeley.edu/expert-topic...
My team built a page of UC Berkeley wildfire experts, contact info and research focuses. There's experts on WUI, urban fires, smoke dangers, air quality, forest management, wildfire modeling, and more! news.berkeley.edu/expert-topic...
Reposted by Jason Pohl
So in all the discourse over how men don't read, I've noticed something weird.
All the articles about this issue say that there are multiple studies showing women account for 80% of fiction sales. But none of them link to the studies — just to each other. www.vox.com/culture/3929...
All the articles about this issue say that there are multiple studies showing women account for 80% of fiction sales. But none of them link to the studies — just to each other. www.vox.com/culture/3929...
Are men’s reading habits truly a national crisis?
The questionable statistic at the heart of the “men don’t read fiction” discourse.
www.vox.com
January 3, 2025 at 1:38 PM
So in all the discourse over how men don't read, I've noticed something weird.
All the articles about this issue say that there are multiple studies showing women account for 80% of fiction sales. But none of them link to the studies — just to each other. www.vox.com/culture/3929...
All the articles about this issue say that there are multiple studies showing women account for 80% of fiction sales. But none of them link to the studies — just to each other. www.vox.com/culture/3929...
Obama’s book list includes one from UC Berkeley and sociology legend Arlie Russell Hochschild. It really is a great read! I wrote about “Stolen Pride” a few months ago (before the election) and it was/is one of the most memorable interviews of my year. news.berkeley.edu/2024/09/05/s...
Sociologist examines Appalachian voters' rightward shift, with Trump as their 'shame shield' - Berkeley News
UC Berkeley sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild traveled to eastern Kentucky to study how pride and shame affect people's politics. Then came 'a perfect storm.'
news.berkeley.edu
December 21, 2024 at 10:52 PM
Obama’s book list includes one from UC Berkeley and sociology legend Arlie Russell Hochschild. It really is a great read! I wrote about “Stolen Pride” a few months ago (before the election) and it was/is one of the most memorable interviews of my year. news.berkeley.edu/2024/09/05/s...
Reposted by Jason Pohl
Squirrels in CA seen hunting and eating voles in first evidence of widespread carnivorous behavior among squirrels, finds @ucdavis UW-Eau Claire study. (You’re welcome and happy holidays.) www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...
Carnivorous Squirrels Documented in California
California ground squirrels hunt, kill and eat voles, reveals a study by UC Davis and UW-Eau Claire, sharing the first evidence of widespread carnivorous behavior among squirrels.
www.ucdavis.edu
December 18, 2024 at 2:16 PM
Squirrels in CA seen hunting and eating voles in first evidence of widespread carnivorous behavior among squirrels, finds @ucdavis UW-Eau Claire study. (You’re welcome and happy holidays.) www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...
Reposted by Jason Pohl
70 yrs ago, people began noticing dings in their windshields. Was it...cosmic rays? H-bomb fallout? Something else?
—Police set up roadblocks
—Marines searched
—Seattle's mayor wired Ike for help
Turns out, in most cases: "The pits had been there all along, but no one had noticed them until now."
—Police set up roadblocks
—Marines searched
—Seattle's mayor wired Ike for help
Turns out, in most cases: "The pits had been there all along, but no one had noticed them until now."
I've sent this piece about the Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic to, like, a dozen people today. Might as well put it here too! Sure hope the "drones" don't start dropping rocks on our cars... www.historylink.org/File/5136
Windshield pitting incidents in Washington reach fever pitch on April
On April 15, 1954, Bellingham, Seattle and other Washington communities are in the grip of a strange phenomenon -- tiny holes, pits, and dings seemingly have appeared in the windshields of cars at an
www.historylink.org
December 18, 2024 at 2:13 AM
70 yrs ago, people began noticing dings in their windshields. Was it...cosmic rays? H-bomb fallout? Something else?
—Police set up roadblocks
—Marines searched
—Seattle's mayor wired Ike for help
Turns out, in most cases: "The pits had been there all along, but no one had noticed them until now."
—Police set up roadblocks
—Marines searched
—Seattle's mayor wired Ike for help
Turns out, in most cases: "The pits had been there all along, but no one had noticed them until now."
I've sent this piece about the Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic to, like, a dozen people today. Might as well put it here too! Sure hope the "drones" don't start dropping rocks on our cars... www.historylink.org/File/5136
Windshield pitting incidents in Washington reach fever pitch on April
On April 15, 1954, Bellingham, Seattle and other Washington communities are in the grip of a strange phenomenon -- tiny holes, pits, and dings seemingly have appeared in the windshields of cars at an
www.historylink.org
December 17, 2024 at 11:18 PM
I've sent this piece about the Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic to, like, a dozen people today. Might as well put it here too! Sure hope the "drones" don't start dropping rocks on our cars... www.historylink.org/File/5136
Reposted by Jason Pohl
🌊‘We Cannot Wait Much Longer’: King Tides Foreshadow a Far Wetter Future for SF Shoreline
🚆It’s a reminder that as seas rise, future floodwaters could flood part of the city’s vital infrastructure: commuter rail lines
@kqednews.bsky.social @kqedscience.bsky.social
www.kqed.org/news/1201810...
🚆It’s a reminder that as seas rise, future floodwaters could flood part of the city’s vital infrastructure: commuter rail lines
@kqednews.bsky.social @kqedscience.bsky.social
www.kqed.org/news/1201810...
‘We Cannot Wait Much Longer’: King Tides Foreshadow a Far Wetter Future for SF Shoreline | KQED
King tides are once again causing flooding along San Francisco’s bayshore this week. But as rising seas promise to compound the problem, the city is planning for how to protect key infrastructure like...
www.kqed.org
December 13, 2024 at 9:55 PM
🌊‘We Cannot Wait Much Longer’: King Tides Foreshadow a Far Wetter Future for SF Shoreline
🚆It’s a reminder that as seas rise, future floodwaters could flood part of the city’s vital infrastructure: commuter rail lines
@kqednews.bsky.social @kqedscience.bsky.social
www.kqed.org/news/1201810...
🚆It’s a reminder that as seas rise, future floodwaters could flood part of the city’s vital infrastructure: commuter rail lines
@kqednews.bsky.social @kqedscience.bsky.social
www.kqed.org/news/1201810...
Do monkeys, corvids and other critters feel a sense of jealousy when their peers get what they want? New UC Berkeley research challenges the increasingly popular idea that they do. (Though my cats beg to differ...) news.berkeley.edu/2024/12/12/d...
Do animals get jealous like people? Researchers say it's complicated. - Berkeley News
New UC Berkeley research looks at years of studies into whether non-human animals have a similar sense of fairness. The answer is more nuanced than it may seem.
news.berkeley.edu
December 12, 2024 at 9:07 PM
Do monkeys, corvids and other critters feel a sense of jealousy when their peers get what they want? New UC Berkeley research challenges the increasingly popular idea that they do. (Though my cats beg to differ...) news.berkeley.edu/2024/12/12/d...
We already knew soda taxes affect soda sales.
Now, new research shows the penny-per-ounce tax in several Bay Area cities may have fundamentally changed social norms around soda and how people *feel* about other sugary drinks. news.berkeley.edu/2024/12/10/b...
Now, new research shows the penny-per-ounce tax in several Bay Area cities may have fundamentally changed social norms around soda and how people *feel* about other sugary drinks. news.berkeley.edu/2024/12/10/b...
Bay Area soda taxes don't just affect sales. They help change people's minds. - Berkeley News
UC Berkeley researchers found that taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, coupled with media attention, coincided with significant changes in social norms around sugary drinks.
news.berkeley.edu
December 10, 2024 at 9:59 PM
We already knew soda taxes affect soda sales.
Now, new research shows the penny-per-ounce tax in several Bay Area cities may have fundamentally changed social norms around soda and how people *feel* about other sugary drinks. news.berkeley.edu/2024/12/10/b...
Now, new research shows the penny-per-ounce tax in several Bay Area cities may have fundamentally changed social norms around soda and how people *feel* about other sugary drinks. news.berkeley.edu/2024/12/10/b...
The explainer we all needed: “There’s only two ways for us to know a tsunami is occurring: We have the deep ocean buoys and coastal observation stations at ports and harbors — that’s it." www.latimes.com/california/s... via @hannahcwiley.bsky.social @latimes.com
Why a massive California tsunami alert was issued — then soon canceled
Coastal areas in Northern California began evacuating residents after a 7.0 earthquake off Humboldt County's coast prompted a tsunami warning. Luckily, the worst didn't play out. But emergency procedu...
www.latimes.com
December 6, 2024 at 12:34 AM
The explainer we all needed: “There’s only two ways for us to know a tsunami is occurring: We have the deep ocean buoys and coastal observation stations at ports and harbors — that’s it." www.latimes.com/california/s... via @hannahcwiley.bsky.social @latimes.com
From deportations and funding cuts to renewed attacks from critics, it's going to be an uncertain few years for higher education. Really nice (ahem, concerning) Q&A here from one of UC Berkeley's top higher ed scholars. news.berkeley.edu/2024/11/27/w...
With change coming to Washington, does higher education face a ‘dystopian’ future? - Berkeley News
President-elect Donald Trump is signaling disruptive changes for colleges and universities, says John A. Douglass at UC Berkeley’s Center for Studies in Higher Education. Even as they try to manage th...
news.berkeley.edu
December 2, 2024 at 9:34 PM
From deportations and funding cuts to renewed attacks from critics, it's going to be an uncertain few years for higher education. Really nice (ahem, concerning) Q&A here from one of UC Berkeley's top higher ed scholars. news.berkeley.edu/2024/11/27/w...