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Tag Archives: University of California

Infection time

By Stephen Ornes / June 14, 2013

Salmonella bacteria (pink) invade a defense cell in the body. The severity of the infection may depend on the time of day the germs are introduced to the body, new research suggests. Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Disease is more severe when it hits in the morning, at least in mice

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alec Davidson, bacteria, chronobiology, Circadian clock, food poisoning, fruit flies, getinvolved, infection, Irvine, Laura Roden, Manuela Raffatellu, mice, Morehouse School of Medicine, Paolo Sassone-Corsi, plants, rhythm, Salmonella, South Africa, University of California, University of Cape Town

Wanted: ‘Smart’ cleaners

By Roberta Kwok / June 4, 2013

Active surfaces will — on their own — help remove everything from insects and germs to poisons

Posted in Body & Health, Technology & Engineering | Tagged 2-anthraquinone carboxylic acid, 2-AQC, active surfaces, Antibiotics, bacteria, cars, chemical engineer, cleaning, clothes, cotton, Davis, enzymes, farms, feature, free radicals, fungi, Gang Sun, germs, Hongfei Jia, hospitals, hydrogen peroxide, materials scientist, microbiology, paint, pesticides, radicals, Reactions, self-cleaning, silver, smart materials, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, topstories, toxins, Toyota Research Institute of North America, University of California, Wendelin Stark

Out-of-this-world atmospheres

By Stephen Ornes / March 29, 2013

This illustration depicts the planet HR 8799c (foreground) orbiting its star. Two other planets in the system can also be seen in the drawing.
Credit: Image courtesy of Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics; Mediafarm

Light from a distant, giant world offers clues to the gases in its atmosphere

Posted in Space | Tagged astronomy, atmosphere, Ben Oppenheimer, Earth, exoplanets, getinvolved, HR 8799, infrared, Jonathan Fortney, light, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Neptune, planets, Quinn Konopacky, radiation, Santa Cruz, Saturn, Smithsonian Institution, space, spectral lines, spectrometry, topstories, University of California, University of Toronto

This shrimp packs a punch

By Roberta Kwok / March 27, 2013

Mantis shrimp are related to crabs and lobsters. They come in a gorgeous array of colors. Credit: Roy Caldwell

Researchers learn a lot from mantis shrimp, colorful marine creatures that possess deadly weapons and complex vision

Posted in Animals | Tagged Adaptation, Amherst, animal behavior, animal communication, animal physiology, arthropod, Baltimore County, Berkeley, biomaterials, biomimicry, cavitation, crab, crustacean, David Kisailus, exoskeleton, feature, Haptosquilla trispinosa, high-speed video, hydroxyapatite, invertebrates, lobster, mantis shrimp, marine science, materials science, oceanography, photoreceptors, praying mantis, receptors, Riverside, Roy Caldwell, Santa Catalina Island, Sheila Patek, sound, stomatopod, Tom Cronin, topstories, University of California, University of Maryland, University of Massachusetts, vision

Feeling the invisible

By Sid Perkins / February 18, 2013

A rat with an infrared-detecting sensor wired into its brain soon learned that it could find water at a door marked with an invisible infrared light.
Credit: Thomson et al., Nature Communications (2013)

Sensor wired into a rat’s brain lets it detect light it can’t see

Posted in Animals, Light & Radiation, Tech & Math, Technology & Engineering | Tagged bioengineer, brain, Duke University, electromagnetic radiation, getinvolved, infrared light, Miguel Nicolelis, neuroscientist, plasticity, rat, San Diego, sight, spectrum, Todd Coleman, topstories, touch, University of California

Predators as climate helpers

By Janet Raloff / February 18, 2013

This freshwater stickleback eats the tiny animals in stream water that graze on plants and algae. This predation allows those plants and algae to collect and store carbon, rather than letting it escape into the atmosphere. Credit: Nicole Bedford, UBC

In lakes and streams, fish and insects can help protect aquatic plants that gobble up greenhouse gas

Posted in Earth & Sky, Environment & Pollution, Weather & Climate | Tagged algae, bromeliad, carbon dioxide, climate, damselfly, ecology, ecosystem, food chain, food web, getinvolved, global warming, grazers, greenhouse gases, James Estes, John Richardson, phytoplankton, ponds, predators, primary production, Santa Cruz, stickleback, stonefly, streams, topstories, Trisha Atwood, trophic levels, University of British Columbia, University of California, zooplankton

New planetary neighbor

By Stephen Ornes / November 5, 2012

Astronomers have found that our closest stellar neighbor has an Earth-sized planet orbiting it. This illustration shows what the pair might look like. Credit: ESO

Nearest star system has a world that’s Earthly in size, but too hot for human visitors

Posted in Space | Tagged aliens, Alpha Centauri, astronomy, Debra Fischer, exoplanet, extrasolar planet, Geoff Marcy, getinvolved, HARPS, rocky world, Santa Cruz, space, Stéphane Udry, telescopes, University of California, Yale University

Tomatoes’ tasteless green gene

By Roberta Kwok / July 13, 2012

Modern tomatoes (all-over light green fruits at right) lack the correct version of a gene that helps them make flavorful molecules. In its correct form, the gene results in a tastier tomato with a dark green patch at the top (fruits at left). Credit: Courtesy of Hakan Aktas.

Choosing tomatoes for color reduces fruit’s flavor, study finds

Posted in Food & Nutrition | Tagged Alan Bennett, chloroplast, Davis, getinvolved, Harry Klee, SlGLK2, tomato, University of California, University of Florida

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