University of California

Researchers at the University of Southern California collaborated on a study published in JAMA Pediatrics offering one of the first assessments of how different social media platforms expose teenagers to distinct types of harm. The findings suggest that online risks are not uniform, and that platform-specific features shape what dangers young users encounter, a point likely to feed ongoing debates about regulating social media for minors.

A report by the University of California, Berkeley is urging the International Court of Justice to review Mexico's conduct under former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The document reportedly raises concerns about governance and rule of law during his 2018-2024 administration. The call is drawing attention to how López Obrador's legacy is being judged internationally as Claudia Sheinbaum's government continues his political movement.

California colleges and universities are rolling out new policies and programs to respond to artificial intelligence's growing role in higher education. The Sacramento Bee reports on how campuses are adjusting teaching, coursework and academic integrity rules as AI tools become widespread among students and faculty across the state's large public and private college systems.

The University of Southern California has ended its practice of selling donated cadavers to the US Navy, which reportedly used them for training connected to the Israeli military. The decision follows scrutiny of the arrangement and its ethical implications regarding consent and the use of donated bodies. Critics had called the programme inappropriate, and the university's move is being discussed as part of wider debates over institutional ties to Israel's war effort.

Databricks has agreed to pay $22.8 million for naming rights to the University of California, Berkeley's football field, a landmark corporate deal for college sports. The data software company, founded by Berkeley alumni, is framing the investment as part of a broader push tied to its Bay Area roots, its growth ambitions, and its deepening relationship with the university's talent pipeline.

Researchers collected samples from a hot stream in California's Lassen Volcanic National Park using barbecue tongs, then raised the temperature on an amoeba in Syracuse University labs from 57°C to 60°C. At 63°C the organism was still dividing, raising questions about how its intricate cellular machinery keeps functioning under such heat. The findings shed light on the limits of life at high temperatures.

County election officials in San Diego have begun mailing ballots to registered voters for the 2026 California general election. The mailing marks the start of voting under California's universal vote-by-mail system, which sends a ballot to every registered voter. Voters can return ballots by mail, at drop boxes, or in person, with officials urging early returns ahead of election day.

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside report that shifts in ocean chemistry played a key role in allowing life to keep producing oxygen on early Earth. The findings suggest seawater's changing composition helped sustain the oxygen that complex organisms needed to develop and survive.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego are examining the mental health effects of a device-free camp, looking at how stepping away from phones and screens influences young people's wellbeing. The work feeds into a broader debate about social media and technology use among adolescents, and what unplugged experiences might offer.

Former California Governor Gray Davis, now regarded as an elder statesman, is reviewing his decades in public life as part of a major oral history project at the University of California, Berkeley. The undertaking documents his career, including his time as governor and the 2003 recall that ended it, preserving his account for researchers and the public.