Science & Environment

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Undergraduate Summer Research Projects to Be Showcased at UC San Diego Aug. 13

More than 300 undergraduates will present faculty-mentored research to peers, professors and the general public at the annual Summer Research Conference on Aug. 13 at the University of California, San Diego. This year’s event will feature presentations focusing on a range of topics including earthworm-inspired robotics and the early cotton industry’s influence on border culture to the blood brain barrier and sea spray aerosols.

Genetic Adaptation Keeps Ethiopians Heart-Healthy Despite High Altitudes

Ethiopians have lived at high altitudes for thousands of years, providing a natural experiment for studying human adaptations to low oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia. One factor that may enable Ethiopians to tolerate high altitudes and hypoxia is the endothelin receptor type B (EDNRB) gene. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine now find that mice with lower-than-normal levels of EDNRB protein are remarkably tolerant to hypoxia.

UC San Diego Receives Diamond Award from SANDAG for Alternative Transportation

UC San Diego has received a SANDAG Diamond Award in recognition of the university’s efforts to encourage their employees to use alternative transportation. Currently, 58 percent of campus commuters use alternative transportation options including: Public transit, carpool, vanpool, Coaster Club, Pedal Club, carsharing, Zimride ride-matching access, campus shuttles and more.

Flatworms Flout Global Biodiversity Patterns

Scientists have discovered an exception to an otherwise globally observed pattern—usually biodiversity is greatest in the tropics and decreases toward the poles. The research team collected snails and parasites from 43 field sites spread across five countries and found that parasite prevalence, diversity, and competition rates all increased at higher latitudes, reversing previous ideas.

Alumnus David Goeddel Funds Fellowship for Next Generation Scientists

When University of California, San Diego alumnus and biotechnology pioneer David Goeddel, ’72, pledged a gift of $400,000 to establish the David V. Goeddel Endowed Graduate Fellowship at UC San Diego, his goal was to support and foster the innovators and scientists of the future. The endowed fund, which will be matched in full by the UC San Diego Division of Biological Sciences, will annually support the research and scholarly activities of outstanding Biological Sciences graduate students. The inaugural Goeddel fellowship recipients will use the funding to bolster leading-edge research focused on topics ranging from finding better treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s, to understanding the metabolism of cells in tissues and organs, to studying cyanobacteria as a bio-production platform for renewable fuels.

Boxfish Shell Inspires New Materials for Body Armor and Flexible Electronics

The boxfish’s unique armor draws its strength from hexagon-shaped scales and the connections between them, engineers at the University of California, San Diego, have found. Engineers also describe how the structure of the boxfish (Lactoria cornuta) could serve as inspiration for body armor, robots and even flexible electronics.