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...
SCIENCE NEWS - Fingers crossed for finding nothing: July marks the main trapping season to check for Asian giant hornets still infesting Washington state. When news of the Asian giant hornets’ arrival first broke in 2019, one of the people who was not at all surprised at a foreign species was entomologist Doug Yanega of...
WAMU - As demand for electric vehicles heats up, there’s concern about a shortage of the key minerals needed to make them. The Biden administration has called for boosting domestic production of such minerals, including lithium for the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. And that has many hoping for big business in a desolate...
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER - Eagle eyes were not required to see a giant cockroach crawling across the wall in full view on the brightly lit set. The roach’s debut on The Talkmanaged to pass with no media attention and only a few screen grabs of the moment posted on YouTube and Twitter. Doug Yanega, senior...
WESTERN FARMPRESS - University of California scientists have discovered genetic data that will help food crops like tomatoes and rice survive longer, more intense periods of drought on our warming planet. Over the course of the last decade, the research team sought to create a molecular atlas of crop roots, where plants first detect the...
SCIENCE NEWS - Scientists have identified several new genes responsible for root growth in tomato and rice plants. The discovery, described Tuesday in the journal Cell, could help scientists develop more drought-resistant crop varieties. "Xylem are very important to shore up plants against drought as well as salt and other stresses," lead study author Siobhan...
KTNV - All eyes are on COVID-19 vaccines, but researchers are still working on protection against other serious illnesses. A Southern California virologist is racing against the clock to create a vaccine for the Zika virus. Dr. Rong Hai's job is to study viruses and their virulence at the University of California, Riverside. He's also...
PCT Online - The Eastern U.S. is about to see something that hasn't happened since the final episode of Friends aired on NBC: massive swarms of Brood X cicadas. “It’s one of nature’s unsolved mysteries,” said Doug Yanega, senior scientist at UC Riverside’s Entomology Research Museum. “This is something that’s globally unique. You can’t see...
SALON - Doug Yanega studies insects for a living, yet he has repeatedly missed out on one of North America's most awe-inspiring entomological events: the septdecennial (meaning once every 17 years) emergence of a swarms of cicadas known as Brood X. Part of the reason for this is that Yanega, who works as senior scientist...
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE - Two bobcat kittens and their mother have been exploring the grounds at UC Riverside’s Botanic Gardens this week. A brief video shared on the gardens’ social media this week shows one kitten treading carefully on the grounds. “Walk softly and you might see our newest additions,” the caption reads. READ THE Article
SCIENCE MAGAZINE - The U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) chooses its members in a process that has long discriminated against female and minority scientists, as well as those from less prestigious universities. But NAS officials have begun to tinker with that process with the goal of increasing gender, racial, and geographic diversity. And this...