PALM SPRINGS DESERT SUN - University of California Riverside physics and astronomy professor Harry Tom explained that even though headlamps are relatively dim, their lights can be seen from far distances. “In a clear night with clean air, light will travel, really, for miles,” Tom said. He added, “Our eyes are very sensitive, so we...
EARTH.COM - Now, a study led by the University of California Riverside has found that changes to ozone levels in the upper and lower atmosphere were responsible for almost a third of the warming of ocean waters surrounding Antarctica in the second half of the 20 th century. This deep and rapid warming of the...
NPR - When a team of exoplanetary treasure hunters joined forces with professional astronomers, they discovered a whole new world. Short Wave host Emily Kwong talks with astronomer Paul Dalba and community scientist Tom Jacobs about how their collaboration led to the recent observation of a new Jupiter-like exoplanet. You can follow Emily on Twitter...
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES - According to the governor’s office, that ban alone could result in potential water savings of several hundred thousand acre-feet. (An acre-foot of water serves the needs of approximately three households for a year.) But Amir Haghverdi, a professor of water management and environmental sciences at UC Riverside, said such reductions...
PHYS.ORG - "They seem to be kind of body slamming the scorpions into the ground. If you ever see seals, they'll pick up fish and they'll slap them against the water. I think geckos are doing essentially the same thing, just blunt force trauma." said Malachi Whitford ('20), who studied the geckos' unusual feeding behavior...
THE CONVERSATION — Geothermal energy has long been the forgotten member of the clean energy family, overshadowed by relatively cheap solar and wind power, despite its proven potential. But that may soon change – for an unexpected reason. As a geologist who works with geothermal brines and an energy policy scholar, we believe this technology...
USA TODAY - Honey bees and bumble bees only fly during the day. Even though these bees cannot technically see, they can use the sun's rays (polarized light) to guide them, said Quinn S. McFrederick, associate professor of entomology at the University of California Riverside. Bees have compound eyes, one on each on the side...
EARTHSKY - You’d expect active star formation in the early universe, when all things were just beginning. And indeed, when they look far out into space (and therefore far back in time), astronomers do see active, blue star-forming regions. But a newly analyzed protocluster, or newborn galaxy cluster, bucks that trend. It appears to exist...
EARTH.COM - A surprising new study from UC Riverside has revealed that we still don’t know what the body of Megalodon actually looked like. Despite its notoriety as one of the largest and most fearsome sharks that ever lived, it turns out that much about Megalodon’s appearance remains a mystery. “The study may appear to...
OUP Blog — Darwin’s tree of life and Mendeleev’s periodic table of the elements share a number of interesting parallels, the most meaningful of which lie in the central role that each plays in its respective domain. Darwin’s tree of life, incidentally the only diagram of which appears in his book The Origin of Species...
YAHOO NEWS — Archaeologists have been trying to figure out what happened to the Maya for 100 years - after Mayan cities were mysteriously depopulated in the ninth century. But new analysis by researchers by University of California, Riverside archaeologist Scott Fedick and plant physiologist Louis Santiago shows the Maya had nearly 500 edible plants...
HONOLULU CIVIL BEAT - Mark Hoddle, a biological control specialist who studies avocado lace bug at the University of California at Riverside, said the insect appears to be more aggressive in tropical climates like Hawaii. In sticky, humid conditions in the Caribbean, the avocado lace bug seems to cause more damage than it does at...
THE HILL - Scientists in California tried to study Alzheimer’s disease from a different perspective and the results may have led them to the cause of the disease. Researchers at the University of California- Riverside (UCR) recently published results from a study that looked at a protein called tau. By studying the different forms tau...
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES - Studying the complexity of mud on the ocean floor is a life’s work for Timothy Lyons, so when the tall and lean biogeochemist asks you to join an expedition in search of chemical mysteries buried deep beneath the waves, be prepared to get wet and dirty. On a recent foray...
SCICOMMUCR/BEYOND THE BENCH PODCAST - SciCommUCR is a student organization working to communicate science in creative ways and bring science communication training to the University of California, Riverside community. In 2019, SciCommUCR started with their communication workshop, Let's Talk Science. They are currently producing the second season of their podcast, Beyond the Bench. Beyond the...
LOS ANGELES TIMES - “Neonics” is shorthand for neonicotinoids, said Jake Cecala, whose doctoral research at UC Riverside led to the new findings. Neonicotinoids are insecticides designed to kill a broad spectrum of chewing and sucking insects, from sap suckers like aphids to leaf-chomping beetles. Problem is, neonics are so good at their job they...
KVCR - The United Nations released its much anticipated report on climate change on August 9, and the consensus is that our planet is on a course to experience some irreversible changes like sea level rise and more frequent extreme weather events. There is however still time to limit some of the devastation. KVCR's Megan...
THE ATLANTIC - In the race to build the world’s first round of coronavirus vaccines, the spike protein—the thorny knobs that adorn each of the pathogen’s particles—was our MVP. Spike is a key ingredient in virtually every one of our current pandemic-fighting shots; it has been repeatedly billed as essential for tickling out any immune...
BAKERSFIELD.COM - Researchers in Riverside and Maryland may have come up with a breakthrough in the fight against a pest-borne bacterial disease threatening to wipe out California's citrus industry. Work done by two researchers at the University of California, Riverside — citrus pathology specialist Georgios Vidalakis and UCR plant virologist Kiran Gadhave — as well...
LOS ANGELES TIMES - “Viruses mutate easily, so they are usually very quick to escape any therapeutic intervention,” said Juliet Morrison, a microbiologist at UC Riverside. “Any antiviral should target multiple aspects of the viral life cycle so you don’t select for resistance.” That means finding a single pill that can disrupt not just how...