Julia Travers


I'm a journalist who covers diverse social and scientific topics, including the arts, technology, climate change and the nonprofit sector. 

The Outlaw Report •

How Should Virginia Spend Its Cannabis Profits? — The Outlaw Report

Virginia’s plan for adult recreational cannabis use was approved in February, with a major bill review scheduled for 2022 and legalization set for 2024. When it comes to the use of cannabis taxes, the pro-legalization community is split. Governor Ralph Northam, the mayor of Richmond Levar Stoney, and some other Democrats support using the largest portion of taxes for targeted PreK programs...
Philanthropy Women •

Why Men Got Picked Over Women in a Blind Review of Science Grants - Philanthropy Women

A recent study of a science grant application process at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation found male applicants received higher scores than women, even in a blind review. At the foundation’s request, a team from the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research analyzed this imbalance and reported that factors like scientic discipline and position, publication record, and grant history were not factors — the main dierence was in the language used in proposal titles and descriptions.
ARTnews.com •

How I Made This: Bisa Butler’s Quilt Portraits Honor the Black Experience

Bisa Butler creates vibrant, life-size quilt portraits of Black Americans. The unique process by which she translates photographs into luminous, pieced-cloth images is a synthesis of her formal artistic studies and family traditions. Trained as a painter, Butler later earned a master’s degree in art education. She taught high school art classes for years, making clothes and quilts in her free time. Her many influences include her mother and grandmother, who were sewers; members of the AfriCOBRA...
Inside Philanthropy •

The Power of the Hive: New Climate Fund Centers Southern Women of Color (PDF in new tab)

The new Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice seeks to catalyze a deeply rooted climate response in the South by centering the leadership of black, Indigenous and other women of color. Southern women of color have a long track record of advancing social justice. They also play a pivotal role in grassroots environmental movements in the U.S. (and Global) South, leading groups that are often overlooked by grantmakers in favor of larger, more institutional, white- and male-led nonprofits.
ARTnews.com •

Indispensable: Michael Johansson’s Talmeter Measuring Tape

Swedish assemblage artist Michael Johansson constructs complex 3D puzzles, filling in strict boundaries with a tight jumble of everyday objects. “Sometimes I describe my process as playing real-life Tetris,” he says. Johansson must be a master of measurement to create his expertly packed spaces, and so he keeps a Talmeter—a Swedish measuring tape from hand tool manufacturer Hultafors—close by. “This model was introduced to me by a friend and colleague ...
LabRoots •

Organic Produce Lessens Breast Cancer Risk | Cancer

Organic foods and their health benefits are a source of constant study. These foods, which are free of synthetic pesticides, are becoming more popular as the evidence mounts of the health risks of various pesticides. For nearly 20 years, the sales of organic foods have grown by about 14 percent per year. Now, a recent study published in reports that eating organic produce is associated with reduced breast cancer risk.
LabRoots •

Finding the "Cancer Beacon" That Immune Cells Recognize

When the body’s immune system fights cancer, how does it choose a specific target? Researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator (HHMI) have spent decades studying the molecular structure of the immune system in an effort to answer this question. In December 2017, they reported a screening method that allowed them to identify which “signals” displayed by cancer cells were being recognized by the immune system, effectively discovering a “cancer beacon.”
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