Science & Environment

Research

The Latest

Chemists Devise a New, Versatile Way to Tag RNA

Chemists have devised a versatile way to attach handles and tags to RNA so that the tiny molecules can be detected and traced within cells or selectively pulled from a complex mixture of molecules.

Babies Time Their Smiles to Make Their Moms Smile in Return

Why do babies smile when they interact with their parents? Could their smiles have a purpose? In the Sept. 23 issue of PLOS ONE, a team of computer scientists, roboticists and developmental psychologists confirm what most parents already suspect: when babies smile, they do so with a purpose—to make the person they interact with smile in return.

New Simulation Illuminates Origin of the Brightest Galaxies

A simulation that traced the evolution of enormous, bright galaxies over the course of several billion years has illuminated the possible origins of some of the most extreme objects in the universe.

International Project Tracks Beach Pollution Dynamics

Scientists from UC San Diego are leading a novel pollution experiment at Imperial Beach, Coronado, and Tijuana. During the Cross Surfzone/Inner-shelf Dye Exchange project, researchers will perform three experiments releasing non-toxic bright pink fluorescent dye into beach waters and track its movements along the coast some 6.2-12.4 miles for nearly 36 hours.

Tiny Carbon-capturing Motors May Help Tackle Rising Carbon Dioxide Levels

Machines that are much smaller than the width of a human hair could one day help clean up carbon dioxide pollution in the oceans. Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego have designed enzyme-functionalized micromotors that rapidly zoom around in water, remove carbon dioxide and convert it into a usable solid form.

New Grant Will Fund Collaborative Effort to Build Reproducible Assays To Model Autism

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $13 million grant over five years to develop and disseminate new stem cell-based technologies and assays for studying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other mental health diseases to a consortium of researchers at the University of California, San Diego and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, working in tandem with leaders in the biotechnology sector.