A new research collaboration between the K’ómoks First Nation and Simon Fraser University highlights how Indigenous cultural heritage policies can protect archaeological sites threatened by development, given inadequate provincial heritage protection laws.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, spotlights K’ómoks First Nation’s cultural heritage policy – developed to abate the onslaught of archaeological site destruction in their southern core territory (the Comox Valley, Hornby and Denman Islands) – and the need for provincial legislation and municipal policies to implement Nation-led archaeological site protection.

From devastating wildfires and landslides to droughts and extreme heat waves, climate-related events disrupt the lives of communities around the world. How these events impact the health of Los Angeles’s vulnerable communities is a question numerous USC researchers are working to solve. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $4.1 million to a USC-led initiative to build a community of transdisciplinary scientists and a robust infrastructure with the goal of advancing solution-oriented climate change adaptation and health research. The center is called CLIMA, short for the CLIMAte-related Exposures, Adaptation and Health Equity Center. CLIMA researchers have been collaborating with USC Dornsife Public Exchange and the City of Los Angeles Climate Emergency Mobilization Office (CEMO) to build a visual mapping tool called a StoryMap, which can add narrative context to the city and county’s extreme heat challenges. By combining Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping with accessible climate storytelling, the StoryMap can inform the public about the risks associated with extreme heat, as well as provide resources for and information regarding the City of Los Angeles’ #HeatRelief4LA campaign.

Dartmouth researchers use game theory to propose a new way of thinking about masking and social distancing rules that is more responsive to public sentiment and may help increase cooperation. The study is the first to consider mask wearing and social distancing as competing actions that people respond to differently, which would give public health officials more flexibility to adapt to epidemics.