Science & Environment

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A Sprinkle of Platinum Nanoparticles Onto Graphene Makes Brain Probes More Sensitive

Graphene electrodes could enable higher quality imaging of brain cell activity thanks to new research by a team of engineers and neuroscientists at the University of California San Diego. The researchers developed a technique, using platinum nanoparticles, to lower the impedance of graphene electrodes by 100 times while keeping them transparent. In tests on transgenic mice, the electrodes were able to record and image neuronal activity (calcium ion spikes) at both the macroscale and single cell levels.

SDSC Comet and Machine Learning Simulates H2O with “Unprecedented Accuracy”

A team led by researchers at UC San Diego’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and SDSC has used machine learning techniques to develop models for simulations of water with “unprecedented accuracy.” Published online in The Journal of Chemical Physics, the research demonstrates how popular ML techniques can be used to construct predictive molecular models based on quantum mechanical reference data.

UC San Diego Launches New Center for Anti-Parasitic Drug Discovery and Development

Neglected tropical diseases are a group of chronic and disabling parasitic infections that primarily affect poor and underserved communities. These diseases affect more than 1 billion people globally, yet are rarely the target of new drug discovery efforts. Leveraging its strengths in molecular biology, clinical research and pharmaceutical sciences, the University of California San Diego has now launched a new Center for Anti-Parasitic Drug Discovery and Development to address this unmet need in global health.

Engineer Receives Award From Energy Department to Advance Concentrating Solar Power Research

Renkun Chen, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of California San Diego, has received a $1.18 million dollar award from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office to develop technology that can advance next-generation concentrating solar power (CSP) systems. The project is aimed at developing an ultra-sensitive infrared camera that can rapidly measure and monitor heat transfer in CSP plant materials and assess their performance over decades of use.

Composition of Complex Sugars in Breast Milk May Prevent Future Food Allergies

The unique composition of a mother’s breastmilk may help to reduce food sensitization in her infant, report researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine with colleagues in Canada.

UC San Diego Ranked 3rd Among U.S. Public Universities in High-Quality Research

The University of California San Diego ranked 3rd among public research universities in the United States in this year’s annual ranking of high-quality scientific research papers by the journal Nature. In the Nature Index 2018 Annual Tables, the La Jolla campus ranked 12th in the world out of 500 institutions and 6th among U.S. universities in the research results its faculty, students and staff others published in 82 high-quality journals in 2017.