A Look Back at 2024: Breakthroughs in Heat Resilience, AI, the Microbiome and Beyond

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As 2024 comes to a close, we reflect on a remarkable year of research that pushed the boundaries of knowledge and innovation. From tackling the heat crisis in Southern California to exploring the secrets of deep-sea survival, researchers at UC San Diego have made strides that could reshape our understanding of the world and improve lives globally. Join us as we revisit some of the most impactful studies, including advances in artificial intelligence for health care, bioelectronics, cognitive robotics and the hidden language of our microbiome. These stories highlight the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and the pursuit of solutions to society's most pressing challenges.

Rising Temperatures: How Can SoCal Survive the Heat Crisis?

With 2024 on pace to be yet another year of record-breaking temperatures, an interdisciplinary team from Scripps Institution of Oceanography is working to better understand how heat waves will impact Southern California and develop strategies to adapt to the heat. The National Science Foundation-funded SoCal Heat Hub­ aims to better understand heat waves, their impacts, and generate impactful, data-driven solutions in the face of extreme heat in Southern California, and around the globe.

A First Step to “Talking” with Animals?

The world’s largest longitudinal project studying how pets and their people interact via soundboards, led by UC San Diego cognitive scientist Federico Rossano, published its first empirical study in 2024. The PLOS ONE paper establishes a critical first step for all the project’s subsequent research into animal-human communication: Dogs do indeed seem to understand specific words from soundboards. They respond appropriately to words like “play” and “outside,” regardless of whether the owner presses the button—or a stranger.

Meet CARMEN, a Robot That Helps People with Mild Cognitive Impairment

CARMEN is a small tabletop robot designed to help people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) learn skills to improve memory, attention and executive functioning. For example, CARMEN teaches users to identify routine places to leave household items so they don’t get lost. The robot was developed by the research team in collaboration with clinicians, people with MCI and their care partners. The researchers deployed CARMEN in the homes of several people with MCI, with positive results. 

AI Surveillance Tool Helps to Predict Sepsis

Annually, nearly 2 million adults in the United States develop sepsis, and approximately 350,000 will die from the blood infection which can trigger a life-threatening chain reaction in the body. In a new study, researchers at the School of Medicine utilized an AI model in the emergency departments at UC San Diego Health to quickly identify patients at risk for sepsis infection. The study found the AI algorithm resulted in a 17% reduction in mortality. 

“Molecular Rosetta Stone” Reveals How our Microbiome Talks to Us

Researchers from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have uncovered thousands of previously unknown bile acids, a type of molecule used by our gut microbiome to communicate with the rest of the body. The results provide previously unknown insight into the biochemical language microbes use to influence distant organ systems—akin to a molecular Rosetta stone.

How Deep-Sea Comb Jellies Survive Under Intense Pressure

Research from UC San Diego and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute reveals how comb jellies survive under the intense pressure at the bottom of the ocean. In fact, their uniquely adapted lipid structures—called plasmalogens—are also present in the human brain. Declining plasmalogen is often associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, and the researchers hope this discovery may be the start of better understanding the role plasmalogens play in brain health.

Bioelectronic Device Offers New Hope Against Bacterial Infections

Researchers have developed a bioelectronic device that represents a new weapon in the battle against bacterial infections. The device taps into the natural electrical activity of certain bacteria found on our skin, paving the way for a drug-free approach to managing infections. The device’s programmable electrical stimulation was shown to reduce the harmful effects of Staphylococcus epidermidis, a common bacterium known for causing hospital-acquired infections and contributing to antibiotic resistance.

Creating AI That Helps, Not Harms

AI can do many things—like process billions of data points in a flash and make predictions about the stock market. But what happens when helpfulness turns into harm—such as autonomous vehicles that go haywire, or when personal information is monitored without consent? David Danks, a professor of philosophy and data science, addressed three key myths about AI at a recent keynote talk with the School of Arts and Humanities’ Institute for Practical Ethics.

OpenTopography Receives $4 Million to Support AI-Ready Access to Topographic Data for Research and Education

The OpenTopography platform operated by the San Diego Supercomputer Center and partners provides open access to high-resolution, global topographic data—such as the Earth’s surface, vegetation and built environment—empowering a diverse international community of users. With renewed National Science Foundation funding, the platform’s next phase will broaden the audience with an undergraduate curriculum in partnership with community college faculty, expand pathways for machine-readable data access, ensure availability of machine-readable metadata and promote trustworthiness and reproducibility with automated detailed provenance and shareable workflows.

Restriction Easing on Cannabis and Psychedelics Results in Microdosing

Microdosing involves taking "sub-perceptual" doses of psychedelics with users claiming it improves cognition, mood and overall health without intense hallucinogenic effects. Despite the lack of clinical evidence, interest has grown. The rate of microdosing-related Google searches grew by 1250% from 2015 to 2023, with more than 3 million searches in 2023. This surge in interest correlates with legislative changes decriminalizing or authorizing the use of psychedelic substances in therapy and permitting recreational cannabis use. 

New Study Reveals Food Waste Bans Ineffective in Reducing Landfill Waste, Except in Massachusetts

Of the first five U.S. states to implement food waste bans, only Massachusetts was successful at diverting waste away from landfills and incinerators, according to a study from the Rady School of Management. The paper, published in Science, suggests a need to reevaluate current strategies, citing Massachusetts’ approach as a benchmark for effective policy implementation.

UC San Diego Leads Research Initiative on Worldwide Democratic Backsliding

Faculty members from the School of Global Policy and Strategy and the Department of Political Science are leading a UC-Wide research initiative sounding the alarm on democracy being in decline across the globe and even in the U.S. The scholars published new research on why illiberal regimes—governing systems that hide their nondemocratic practices behind formally democratic institutions and procedures—are increasingly on the rise.