October 31, 2019
October 31, 2019 —
At the start of the day, we all do it. We reflexively reach for our phones. As the day winds down, many of us can’t help but do the same. We lie in bed as the luminous glow of our phones—along with TVs and tablets, in many cases—shines into our eyes.
October 24, 2019
October 24, 2019 —
Liz Specht, Ph.D.’ 14, Biological Sciences, is the associate director of science and technology at the Good Food Institute, a non-profit organization that supports plant-based and cultivated alternatives to conventional meat products.
October 1, 2019
October 1, 2019 —
Scientists have gained a new understanding of how ultra-resilient tardigrades, or “water bears,” are protected in extreme conditions. The researchers discovered that a protein named Dsup binds and forms a protective cloud against extreme survival threats such as radiation damage.
September 18, 2019
September 18, 2019 —
Studying natural defenses in maize, a staple of diets around the world, UC San Diego biologists describe how they combined an array of scientific approaches to clearly define six genes that encode enzymes responsible for the production of key maize antibiotics known to control disease resistance.
August 12, 2019
August 12, 2019 —
Biologists have developed the first system for determining gene expression based on machine learning. Considered a type of Rosetta Stone, the new method leverages algorithms trained on a set of known plant genes. The method carries implications across biology, from drug discovery to plant breeding.
June 13, 2019
June 13, 2019 —
Biologists have provided the first example of cargo within bacteriophage cells transiting along treadmill-like structures. The discovery demonstrates that bacteria have more in common with sophisticated human cells than previously believed.
May 16, 2019
May 16, 2019 —
A multidisciplinary team has found the underlying mechanisms controlling the size of cells. The researchers found that “the adder,” a function that guides cells to grow by a fixed added size from birth to division, is controlled by specific proteins that accumulate to a specific threshold.
May 9, 2019
May 9, 2019 —
Neurobiologists have located the brain area responsible for value decisions. Data from thousands of neurons revealed an area of the brain called the retrosplenial cortex, previously not known for “value-based decision-making,” a behavior that is impaired in a range of neurological conditions.
May 2, 2019
May 2, 2019 —
The National Academy of Sciences announced that Susan Ackerman and Bill McGinnis have been elected to membership in the prestigious organization, one of the highest honors for U.S. scientists. Also elected this year is Jeremy Jackson, professor emeritus with Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
May 2, 2019
May 2, 2019 —
On September 15, 2018, UC San Diego introduced Kit Pogliano, a professor of molecular biology and a faculty member since 1996, as its fourth dean of Biological Sciences and the division’s first female leader.
