News Archive - Michelle Franklin

On the Origin of Life: How the First Cell Membranes Came to Exist

Few questions have captivated humankind more than the origin of life on Earth. How did the first living cells come to exist? How did these early protocells develop the structural membranes necessary for cells to thrive and assemble into complex organisms? New research from UC San Diego has uncovered a plausible explanation involving the reaction between two simple molecules.

Explaining Science Through Dance

Science can be difficult to explain to the public. Explaining a theoretical science concept to high school students requires a new way of thinking altogether, which is precisely what researchers at UC San Diego did when they orchestrated a dance with high school students at Orange Glen High School in Escondido as a way to explain topological insulators. The experiment was led by former graduate student Matthew Du and UC San Diego Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Joel Yuen-Zhou.

New Model Brings Insight to Cell Organelle’s Structure and Function

A team of researchers, including two from UC San Diego, have developed a physical model that shows that the structure and dynamics of the ER arise from a balance of tension-driven shrinking and the active pulling of new tubules.

Wei Xiong Recognized with Two National Awards

Wei Xiong and his team of researchers study novel light-matter interactions as a way to control and understand how the structure and dynamics of materials change when they interact with photons. In recognition of this work, Xiong, who is a Kent Wilson Faculty Scholar in UC San Diego’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been named a Brown Investigator and a Blavatnik Award finalist.

Spinning Out a New Biomaterials Startup Is Harder Than You Think

Spider silk, long prized for its strength and elasticity, has created something of a furor in the biomanufacturing world as businesses look for ways to cheaply scale up production for silks, which can be used in everything from tactical gear to sutures and textiles. However, a comprehensive study shows that there are many challenges facing the spider silk industry.

$21 Million from NIH to Study Sensory Input and Resulting Movement

University of California San Diego Distinguished Professor of Physics and Neurobiology David Kleinfeld is a leading expert in sensory processing and mouth-face-head movements. Through a highly competitive process, a new $21 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will allow him and a team of researchers to continue studying the coordination of multiple sensory inputs and head movements using laboratory mice and rats.

STEM Girl Summer Shows High School Students a Future of Possibilities

Even today, women remain underrepresented in STEM careers, especially in male-dominated fields like physics, engineering and mathematics. According to the American Association for University Women, women in STEM careers — and girls who study in STEM fields — are still hampered by gender stereotypes, a dearth of role models and a lack of confidence. UC San Diego graduate student Robin Glefke hopes to change that with STEM Girl Summer.

Under Pressure: How Comb Jellies Have Adapted to Life at the Bottom of the Ocean

UC San Diego Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Itay Budin teamed up with researchers from around the country to study the cell membranes of ctenophores (“comb jellies”) and found they had unique lipid structures that allow them to live under intense pressure.

The Unexpected Connection Between Brewing Coffee and Understanding Turbulence

Using unconventional statistical mechanics to understand fluid dynamics, UC San Diego Professor of Physics Nigel Goldenfeld helped solve a 150 year old physics problem of how turbulent fluids move through a pipe.