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News Archive - Mario Aguilera

‘Simple’ Bacteria Found to Organize in Elaborate Patterns

January 6, 2022

Researchers have discovered that communities of bacteria are far more advanced than previously believed. Scientists found that cells within these communities are organized in elaborate patterns, a feature previously associated with higher-level organisms such as plants and animals.

Neurobiologists Reveal How Value Decisions are Coded into Our Brains

November 23, 2021

A new study is showing how value choices are recorded in our brains. Researchers found that persistency allows value signals to be most effectively represented, or “coded,” across different areas of the brain, especially in a critical area within the cerebrum known as the retrosplenial cortex.

Researchers Develop CRISPR-based Rapid Diagnostic Tool for SARS-CoV-2

November 5, 2021

UC San Diego scientists have created a new technology that rapidly detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The new SENSR was developed using CRISPR gene-editing technology as a rapid diagnostic that eventually could be used in homes, airports and other locations.

UC San Diego Physicist Helps Launch National Network Examining Earth’s Planetary Limits

October 20, 2021

UC San Diego Physics Professor Tom Murphy is among five authors of an essay, appearing in the November 2021 issue of the journal Energy Research & Social Science, that cautions current levels of worldwide economic growth, energy use and resource consumption will overshoot Earth's finite limits.

Matthew Lovett-Barron Named 2021 Packard Fellow

October 14, 2021

UC San Diego Assistant Professor Matthew Lovett-Barron, who researches the neural mechanisms of internal brain states and collective decision making in schooling fish, has been selected for the 2021 Packard Fellowship Program and the Searle Scholars Program.

Neurobiologists Identify Widely Used Assembling and Stabilizing Forces behind Brain Synapses

October 6, 2021

UC San Diego scientists have provided promising new evidence that the “planar cell polarity,” a powerful signaling pathway, is a widely used mechanism for the formation and maintenance of a large number of synapses.

Elizabeth Villa Selected as 2021 HHMI Investigator

September 23, 2021

Biological Sciences Associate Professor Elizabeth Villa has been selected as a 2021 Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator. As one of 33 scientists chosen out of pool of more than 800, Villa will receive $9 million over a seven-year HHMI Investigator term.

New Technology Designed to Genetically Control Disease-spreading Mosquitoes

September 10, 2021

Scientists have created the precision-guided sterile insect technique, a new CRISPR-based technology to control Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species responsible for spreading wide-ranging diseases including dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika.

Growth-promoting, Anti-aging Retinal at the Root of Plant Growth Too

August 26, 2021

Publishing in the journal Science, a research team led by new UC San Diego biologist Alexandra Dickinson has identified a compound that plays a key role in triggering the development of plants’ lateral roots. Retinoids, known for medical uses, were found to be vital in plant growth.

UC San Diego Researchers Discover Key Mechanisms behind Synapse Degeneration in Alzheimer’s Brain

August 18, 2021

Neurobiologists have uncovered the mechanisms behind the maintenance and decline of key synapses implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. The findings suggest an alternative approach to addressing such brain disorders.
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