Science & Environment

Research

The Latest

Mandarin Makes You More Musical?

An international team of researchers shows that among the preschool set, or children ages 3 to 5, native speakers of Mandarin Chinese are better than their English-speaking counterparts at processing musical pitch.

Strength of Hair Inspires New Materials for Body Armor

In a new study, researchers at the University of California San Diego investigate why hair is incredibly strong and resistant to breaking. The findings could lead to the development of new materials for body armor and help cosmetic manufacturers create better hair care products.

Blocking Neuron Signaling Pathway Could Lead to New Treatments for Peripheral Neuropathy

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the University of Manitoba and St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre in Canada, have identified a molecular signaling pathway that, when blocked, promotes sensory neuron growth and prevents or reverses peripheral neuropathy in cell and rodent models of type 1 and 2 diabetes, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and HIV.

Study Shows Signs of Hope for Endangered Sea Turtles

Bones from dead turtles washed up on Mexican beaches indicate that Baja California is critical to the survival of endangered North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles, which travel some 7,500 miles from their nesting sites in Japan to their feeding grounds off the coast of Mexico.

Researchers Capture First Glimpse of Ruby Seadragons in the Wild

Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego and the Western Australian Museum capture on video the first-ever field sightings of the newly discovered third species of seadragon. As they observed two Ruby Seadragons on video for nearly 30 minutes, the scientists uncovered new details about their anatomy, habitat, and behavior.

Teaching Computers to Recognize Sick Guts: Machine-Learning and the Microbiome

A new proof-of-concept study by UC San Diego researchers succeeded in training computers to “learn” what a healthy versus an unhealthy gut microbiome looks like based on its genetic makeup.