News Archive - Mario Aguilera

Bacteria-Virus Arms Race Provides Rare Window into Rapid and Complex Evolution

Rather than a slow, gradual process as Darwin envisioned, biologists can now see how evolutionary changes unfold on accelerated timescales. Using an arms race between bacteria and viruses, researchers are documenting complex evolutionary processes in simple laboratory flasks in only three weeks.

What Happens When We Pass Out? Researchers ID New Brain and Heart Connections

UC San Diego researchers have for the first time identified the genetic pathway between the heart and brain tied to fainting. In a new study published in the journal Nature, they found that vagal sensory neurons trigger fainting, laying a foundation for addressing fainting-related disorders.

How Do We Teach Science? UC San Diego Launches STEM Education Research Program

UC San Diego has launched one of the only programs aimed at training students in the emerging field of STEM research education. The new program gives undergraduate students coveted research experience while also asking them to think critically about how science is taught and to whom.

Innovative Researchers earn NIH New Innovator Awards

Two early career researchers at UC San Diego have been named recipients of the 2023 National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award.

Enhancing Immune Defenses: Researchers Unveil the Secrets of Specialized T Cells to Conquer Tumors

Immunologists have uncovered new approaches to enhance protection from tumors and infections. They have revealed new insights into the metabolism of specialized cells of the immune system known as tissue-resident CD8 T cells and how they could be enhanced as immune defense weapons against tumors.

Researchers Engineer Bacteria That Can Detect Tumor DNA

Creating new technologically advanced sensors, scientists from UC San Diego and Australia have engineered bacteria that detect the presence of tumor DNA in live organisms. Their innovation could pave the way to new biosensors capable of identifying various infections, cancers and other diseases.

Through the Lens of the Natural World

UC San Diego alum Brandon Güell recently was recognized in the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition for “Treefrog Pool Party,” a stunning photo that showcases his mastery of capturing rare moments in nature.

Fly Toolkit Created for Investigating COVID-19 Infection Mechanisms

Researchers have created a resource for analyzing how viruses infect human cells. The fruit fly-based toolkit provides a shortcut for assessing SARS-CoV-2 genes and understanding how they interact with human proteins, offering researchers a resource for new COVID-related drug therapies.

New Genetic Technology Developed to Halt Malaria-Spreading Mosquitoes

Using CRISPR technology, UC San Diego scientists have engineered a new way to genetically suppress populations of Anopheles gambiae, the mosquitoes that primarily spread malaria in Africa and contribute to economic poverty in affected regions.

Plants Pollinated by Honey Bees Produce Lower-quality Offspring

In a first-of-its-kind comparison, UC San Diego scientists have shown that pollination by honey bees, which are not native to the Americas, produces offspring of considerably inferior quality (lower fitness) than offspring resulting from native pollinators.