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Uncovering Clues to a Natural Gene-Editing Technique

Diversity-generating retroelements are found in the genomes of microorganisms across the globe — from the arctic permafrost to Yellowstone’s hot springs and the human gut. DGRs are able to accelerate the evolution of proteins to help microorganisms adapt to changing environments. Using cryogenic electron microscopy, Partho Ghosh’s lab at UC San Diego has figured out the first steps of this accelerated evolution by visualizing the relevant proteins and RNA.

Scientists Uncover Key Step in How Diazotrophs “Fix” Nitrogen

There are only two ways of fixing nitrogen, one industrial and one biological. To better understand a key component of the biological process, University of California San Diego Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Akif Tezcan and Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Mark Herzik took a multi-pronged approach. Their work appears in Nature.

UC San Diego’s Holocaust Living History Workshop Series Continues in 2025

The University of California San Diego’s Holocaust Living History Workshop (HLHW) series continues in 2025 with six events that underscore the theme “Violence, Voice and Recognition.”

CDC Funds UC San Diego Pandemic Preparedness Study

Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine are serving as the central data hub for the CHARM Network, a new five-year pandemic preparedness initiative funded by the CDC. This includes ensuring real-time public access to results on the incidence of the most common respiratory infections.

10th Annual Reed Family Concert Showcases the Best in New Music

This January a three-part series of events will be held in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Reed Family Concert, an annual showcase of musical innovation at the University of California San Diego led by Distinguished Professor of Music Steven Schick. The celebration also recognizes the 30-year tenure of red fish blue fish, a beloved and highly acclaimed percussion ensemble created and directed by Schick that performs, records and premieres work from the last 85 years of western percussion’s rich history.

Ketamine Use on the Rise in U.S. Adults; New Trends Emerge

According to a new study from researchers at UC San Diego, ketamine use has risen significantly since 2015. The results highlight the need for closer monitoring of recreational ketamine use.

Beyond Binary

Ramesh Rao, director of the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute, sits down with Shane Cybart, director of CalIT2 Riverside, for a wide-ranging discussion on quantum and other advanced computing methods.

New Dean for School of Medicine Brings Visionary Leadership and a Commitment to Innovation

It’s been said that great leaders don’t set out to be leaders, instead they set out to make a difference. For Barbara Jung, M.D., the newly appointed Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, making a difference has always been on her radar.

Digital Monitoring is No Substitute for Engaged Management for Remote Work Success

A new study from the University of California San Diego and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology examines digital worker surveillance—specifically, the use of software to monitor remote workers’ activities—and tests how effective they are in improving worker performance. The results reveal that simply applying surveillance is not enough to improve productivity. Instead, productivity is best enhanced when workers are engaged with their human managers and understand the reasons behind managerial decision-making.

Visualizing a Key Step in How an NRPS Enzyme Produces an Antibiotic

Nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) enzymes are essential in creating important medications, such as penicillin and cyclosporine. Because of their large size, complex design and changing shapes, NRPS enzymes are difficult to study. In recent years, the lab of UC San Diego Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Michael Burkart has developed crosslinking tools to trap the enzyme at specific steps, freezing them in place, making them easier to visualize.