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News Archive - Michelle Franklin

Thin Films “Dance” with Substrates That Are No Longer Inert

Many of today’s electronic devices are built on thin-film substrates where the thin film is electronically conductive and the substrate is inert. Or is it? New research from UC San Diego shows that substrates are not inert after all.

First Ever Reported Cryo-EM Visualization of E. coli TGT Structure

Scientists use E. coli TGT as a primary model to understand how TGT works in other bacteria, but have struggled to visualize its atomic structure. UC San Diego biochemistry professor Neal Devaraj’s lab has captured the first cryo-EM visualizations of E. coli TGT structure.

A Call for the Ethical Use of AI in Mathematics

AI is being positioned as a replacement for mathematicians, able to solve longstanding open problems in a fraction of the time it would take a human. The Leiden Declaration calls on AI corporations and practitioners to act responsibly to ensure the continuance of mathematics as a discipline.

Making Rare Quantum Events Happen

Researchers from UC San Diego theorize that if light travels through a material trapped in a microresonator there is an opportunity for rare quantum electrodynamical events to occur. These events leave material “fingerprints” on the photons that are not present in simple linear optics phenomena.

A Subtle Difference Offers Insight Into Bacteria Survival Strategies

E. coli grow as fast as the environment allows, and it was assumed all bacteria behaved similarly. Now UC San Diego researchers have discovered that B. subtilis, a bacterium commonly found in soil, employs a different survival strategy that prioritizes survival over speed.

UC San Diego’s Astronomy Department Celebrates Its First Graduating Class

UC San Diego’s astronomy department will graduate its first cohort of undergraduates this year. When it was launched in 2023, the department wanted to capitalize on the rich history of space research and teaching at the university while also rethinking the needs of modern-day students.

What Powered the Earth’s Earliest Life?

Early biological systems that could generate guanosine‑triphosphate (GTP) from prebiotic chemicals would gain a crucial advantage toward self‑replication. Now researchers from the UC San Diego report a version of an RNA enzyme (ribozyme) that makes GTP synthesis more efficient than its predecessor.

New Step Toward Programmable Chemistry May Help Reduce Drug Side Effects

Drug delivery and diagnostic imaging often lack specificity, but a new “TRACE” method lets specially‑caged compounds stay inert until a target cell’s enzymes quickly remove the cage, potentially allowing for more precise drug delivery and sharper diagnostic imaging.

Astronomy and Astrophysics Salon (Spring 2026)

UC San Diego’s School of Physical Sciences held an astronomy and astrophysics salon, hosted by chemistry alumna Candace Kohl at her Del Mar residence. Among the attendees were donors, members of the San Diego Astronomy Association, community members, faculty, students and university administrators.

How Does Turbulence Spread?

Researchers observed turbulence in a pure environment without external interference. They discovered a sharp front separating turbulence from non-turbulent fluid, agreeing with earlier theory. However, their data about turbulence decay were not consistent with other theories.

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