The UC Riverside departments of Evolution, Ecology & Organismal Biology, Botany and Plant Sciences, and Environmental Sciences hosted the inaugural Southern California Conference on Ecological Change on February 14. The inaugural event was organized in response to the effects of warming climate, larger and more frequent fires, urbanization and land development, and invasive species on...

VENTURA COUNTY STAR - California scientists discovered a new species of manzanita, believed to grow only in places along the state’s south-central coast. And unlike its sister shrubs, its bark is gray instead of red, its discoverers said. As far as researchers know, the new species of native California shrub grows only near the Santa...

THE COOL DOWN - Scientists at the University of California-Riverside recently discovered a chemical that plants produce that could help prevent infections in medical patients. Science Daily reported on the findings, explaining that biofilm is a slimy bacterial layer that clings to surfaces. In a medical setting, this film can make it harder to treat...

Susan Wessler, Distinguished Professor and Geneticist in the UC Riverside Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, has been elected to a four-year term as Vice President at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Professor Wessler assumed her duties as Vice President last month. The position, which also chairs the NAS Council Committee on Scientific Programs...

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE - UC Riverside and a Riverside-based sod company have teamed up to sell a new drought-resistant bermuda grass. The grass, called Coachella, is a less thirsty, greener-longer hybrid of bermuda grass. The university’s Office of Technology Partnerships and West Coast Turf hope to initially target golf courses and sports stadiums that need large...

PEOPLE - Celebrities can be found throughout the animal kingdom — if you know where to look. Occasionally, when a new species is discovered, pop culture-loving scientists decide to name the creature after their favorite star. There are bugs named after Oscar winners, lemurs sharing names with comedians and spiders with the same titles as...

ASBMB TODAY - Scientists explore genetic and biochemical innovations fueling future-proofing agriculture. Adapting to changing temperatures Many people think of higher temperatures and heat waves when they think of climate change, but cool seasons are also affected. According to the U.S. Climate Program Office, the expanding Arctic polar vortex —a strong band of winds in...

The University of California, Riverside (UCR) College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) hosted the Cooperative Extension (CE) Advisors and UCR CE Faculty Collaboration Meeting on May 23. CE advisors located in (or serving) over 14 counties across California were invited to learn about the ongoing research by UCR CE faculty to enhance collaboration between...

THE DAILY MAIL - The oldest living organism in California is not a dinosaur or one of its iconic redwoods - it's a small oak shrub that survived the most recent Ice Age. Despite its resilience, the Jurupa Oak is now in danger of going the way of the Dodo, due to devastating wildfires and...

WIRED - THE GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTER is a half-inch-long leafhopper that feeds by sticking its straw-like mouth into the watery tissue of plants. The insect is native to northeastern Mexico, but in the late 1980s, it made its way to Southern California. Since its arrival, it has wreaked havoc on the region’s vineyards. Most of the...