Amber X. Chen

1 week ago | smithsonianmag.com | Amber X. Chen

The state’s new law marks one of the largest government investments into psychedelics to date, with advocates citing the drug’s potential to help veterans with traumatic brain injury and PTSD Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a new bill that will invest $50 million into research on ibogaine, a drug that has shown promise for treating neurological conditions and opioid addiction.

Jan 28, 2025 | thenation.com | Amber X. Chen |Maggie Grether

How the Wildfires Could Reshape the Climate Movement in CaliforniaAs the city debates how it can best address the impacts of increasingly devastating natural disasters, organizers hope to seize the moment. Ad Policy The Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County, California on January 8, 2025.

Jan 24, 2025 | teenvogue.com | Amber X. Chen

When Jackson Brooks and Dayton Johansen, both juniors at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School in Pasadena, California, got to school on Tuesday, January 7, the Santa Ana winds were starting to pick up in intensity. Some of their peers were already growing concerned. Later that day, the Eaton fire erupted in the Altadena-Pasadena area, forcing many students and teachers to evacuate.

Jan 22, 2025 | lapublicpress.org | Amber X. Chen

Nikki High is used to the annual Santa Ana winds that whip through her home in Altadena, where she has lived for 47 years. High, who owns the local bookstore Octavia’s Bookshelf, had enough experience to know that the wind storm two weeks ago was going to be a bad one. On Jan. 7, she powered up her devices and downloaded TV shows in preparation to weather out the storm at home with her dogs. And she figured that if she were in danger, officials would warn her. They did not.

Jan 15, 2025 | theguardian.com | Amber X. Chen

Cars lined up outside an art studio in eastern Los Angeles on Sunday morning, packed with boxes of feminine care products, pimple patches, skincare, clothes, underwear, makeup and more. Some volunteers had driven for hours to support a unique mutual aid effort. As fires in Los Angeles continue to rage, people across the city are springing into action to meet the needs of the thousands of families who have been displaced.