El Niño, the climate pattern primarily characterized by a warmer-than-average eastern Pacific Ocean, has definitely taken shape off the shores of San Diego. It has brought with it many of its classic calling cards from warm beach water to the appearance of tropical marine fishes several hundred miles north of their typical habitats.
Wine, beer and yogurt are produced when microorganisms convert sugar into alcohol, gases or acids. But this process of fermentation—which is used by bacteria, fungi and other fast-growing cells to generate energy in the absence of oxygen—is a much less efficient way of generating energy for cells than aerobic respiration. So why do many organisms use this seemingly wasteful strategy to generate energy instead of aerobic respiration, even when oxygen is readily available?
The past and future of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) will converge on Dec. 7, 2015 as the institutes commemorates 15 years of innovation and world-class research in fields such as telecommunications, digital health and virtual reality.
A physical model accounts for observed neural responses to touch and predicts additional properties of this sensory system.
Many human gene variants have evolved specifically to protect older adults against neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, thus preserving their contributions to society, report University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers in the November 30 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Scientists recently discovered that tiny, multilayer nanostructures inside a tarantula’s hair are responsible for its vibrant color. The science behind how these hair-raising spiders developed their blue hue may lead to new ways to improve computer or TV screens using biomimicry.
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