An international team of researchers has uncovered the mechanism that allowed Volkswagen to circumvent U.S. and European emission tests over at least six years before the Environmental Protection Agency put the company on notice in 2015 for violating the Clean Air Act. During a year-long investigation, researchers found code that allowed a car’s onboard computer to determine that the vehicle was undergoing an emissions test. The computer then activated the car’s emission-curbing systems, reducing the amount of pollutants emitted. Once the computer determined that the test was over, these systems were deactivated.
When World War II came to a close in 1945, the U.S. Government recruited a few leading German scientists, who it judged could contribute to America’s space and military programs. In addition, the rationale was that if the government hadn't done this, these top scientists, along with their scientific knowledge and military secrets, would have been swept up by the Soviet Union. Journalist Eric Lichtblau, uncovers a series of much more disconcerting findings in his 2014 book, The Nazis Next Door: How America Became a Safe Haven for Hitler’s Men, which reveals that the U.S. allowed approximately 10,000 Nazis—some of whom were directly involved in heinous and genocidal acts—to immigrate and take up residence in the U.S.
On Sunday, May 21, the Student Run Free Clinic Project at UC San Diego was recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for excellence in caring for the community. For two decades, the Student-Run Free Clinic Project has helped people of all ages and circumstances access high-quality health care, regardless of their ability to pay. The project assists community members with a range of critical health services, including psychiatric care.
Among 12- to 17-year-olds who have never used tobacco products, nearly half were considered receptive to tobacco marketing if they were able to recall or liked at least one advertisement, report researchers at University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center and Dartmouth’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center, in a new national study. Receptivity to tobacco ads is associated with an increased susceptibility to smoking cigarettes in the future.
UC San Diego electrical engineering professor Patrick Mercier met with staff members working for representatives for San Diego County and for California Senator Dianne Feinstein at an event on Capitol Hill, where he showcased wearable technologies that have the potential to revolutionize access to health care.
Antiva Biosciences, a spinout of UC San Diego, closed a $22M Series C financing in March. Antiva is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, localized therapeutics for the treatment of diseases caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection. Osage University Partners, a venture capital firm partnered with UC San Diego that invests exclusively in startups that are commercializing university research, invested in this round.
