News Archive

October 26, 2017 — Scientists have known that areas of the brain with similar functions—even those in different brain hemispheres—connect to share signals when the body rests, but they haven’t known how this “resting-state connectivity” occurs. Now, scientists in the Neurophysics Laboratory at the University of California San Diego may have the answer.

October 24, 2017 — The University of California San Diego has been named the globe’s 16th best university by U.S. News and World Report. The campus was also recognized as the nation’s 5th best public university in the fourth annual rankings, which measure factors such as research, global and regional reputation; international collaboration; as well as the number of highly-cited papers and doctorates awarded.

October 23, 2017 — A study by UC San Diego biologists uncovered a new mechanism linking a human gene’s function to chronic inflammation and cancer. Through large-scale genomic analyses, they discovered that “mutant p53” amplifies the impact of inflammation, leading to increases in cancer. Thus, rather than fighting tumor growth, mutant forms of p53 appear to be tapping into the body’s immune response system to fuel pro-inflammatory responses that increase cancer growth.

October 17, 2017 — A noted scholar and a world-leader in microbiome research, Rob Knight, Ph.D. will take guests inside the human body and share the dirt on the microbiome, the focus of his new book, published in June 2017. On Tuesday, October 24, Knight will discuss Dirt Is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child’s Developing Immune System, from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. in Geisel Library’s Seuss Room. The UC San Diego Library talk is free to attend and open to the public. A reception and a book signing with Dr. Knight will follow. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event from the UC San Diego Bookstore.

October 17, 2017 — Two recent studies led by UC San Diego biologists have set the research groundwork for new avenues to treat influenza and anthrax poisoning. Published in PLOS Pathogens, the studies from Professor Ethan Bier’s laboratory used a series of experiments to identify key pathways and mechanisms previously unknown or overlooked in the body’s defenses, and possible treatments already developed.

October 13, 2017 — Biologists have developed a solution for controlling the invasive Asian hornet Vespa velutina based on the insect’s natural chemical mating instincts. They deciphered the Asian hornet’s sex pheromone and devised a method of luring males into traps baited with synthesized versions of the pheromones. Vespa velutina has recently spread its presence with invasions in Europe and Korea, posing risks to honey bees, humans and related economics.

October 9, 2017 — CIPRES, for CyberInfrastructure for Phylogenetic RESearch, is a web-based portal or “gateway” launched by the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego that allows researchers to explore evolutionary connections among species. Over 20,000 users from 86 countries have run one or more jobs using CIPRES, generating about 3,500 peer-reviewed publications in journals.

October 5, 2017 — Emma Farley, an assistant professor at UC San Diego’s Division of Biological Sciences and School of Medicine, has been awarded the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award. Melissa Gymrek, an assistant professor in the School of Medicine and Department of Computer Science and Engineering, will receive the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award.

September 21, 2017 — Scientists have found that ignored pieces of DNA play a critical role in the development of immune cells called T cells. These areas activate a change in the 3D structure of DNA that brings together crucial elements necessary for T cell formation. This “big bang” discovery may be unfolding throughout the animal and plant kingdoms as well as aid in combating diseases such as lymphoma and leukemia.

September 11, 2017 — Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and collaborators discovered a new kind of glycan (sugar chain) that survives even in a 4 million-year-old animal fossil from Kenya, under conditions where ancient DNA does not. While ancient hominin fossils are not yet available for glycan analysis, this proof-of-concept study, published September 11 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sets the stage for unprecedented explorations of human origins and diet.