UC San Diego Today

In a joint experimental-theoretical work, a team of researchers, including theorists from UC San Diego, have shown for the first time that heat transfer in the form of infrared radiation can influence chemical reactions more strongly than traditional convection and conduction methods.

President Joseph R. Biden announced this week the recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), including five faculty members from the University of California San Diego. The PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government to scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers.

Researchers have developed a noninvasive method to monitor the electrical activity inside heart muscle cells from the outside, avoiding the need to physically penetrate the cells. The method relies on recording electrical signals from outside the cells and using AI to reconstruct the signals within the cells with impressive accuracy.

A new tool could make it easier to study scarce and mysterious plant molecules. Researchers co-led by the University of California San Diego have developed so-called microbial cell factories—using E. coli and yeast—to produce a special class of plant hormones, known as strigolactones, at unprecedented levels. By amplifying production of strigolactones, which occur in such low amounts in plants, researchers now have the ability to study these elusive plant molecules in much greater depth than before. The work could help improve sustainable agricultural practices by offering deeper insights into how plants make and use their natural hormones to adapt and survive.