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UCR in the News

Some Tomatoes Are Evolving Backwards in Real Time, Scientists Find

Popular Mechanics | July 9, 2025
A new study led by molecular biochemist Adam Jozwiak at UCR compares tomatoes from eastern and western islands of the Galápagos — that famous island chain that inspired Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory nearly 200 years ago. They found the tomatoes on the western islands are creating natural pesticide alkaloid molecules similar to eggplant relatives from millions of years ago, seemingly reversing evolution.
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UCR in the News

Scientists behind threatened NASA missions explain what’s at stake

The Planetary Society | July 7, 2025
UCR astrophysicist Stephen Kane explains how the DAVINCI mission to Venus is imperiled by the budget cuts proposed for NASA, and what knowledge will be lost if the mission is cancelled. Hint: there's a lot about Earth's future we may not be able to predict without more info on our twin planet.
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UCR in the News

Physicists Solve a 50-Year Mystery About a Critically Important Molecule

Gizmodo | July 2, 2025
A study by UCR’s Boerge Hemmerling and Stephen Kane confirmed the dipole moment of aluminum monochloride, an elusive but important molecule found in ancient galaxies. 
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UCR in the News

If you’re a US researcher, now is the time to establish a plan B

Nature | June 30, 2025
If you’re a US researcher, now is the time to establish a plan B, says UCR’s Brandon Brown. The scale of funding cuts in the United States means that countless scientists will lose their jobs. It would be naive not to start thinking about alternative career paths.
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UCR in the News

These plants might actually be de-evolving

Boy Genius Review | June 29, 2025
UCR's Adam Jozwiak leads a team of researchers who argue that despite how controversial it might sound, tomatoes in the Galápagos actually seem to be evolving backwards, not forwards.
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UCR in the News

Scientists Are Just Beginning to Understand How Life Makes Clouds, and Their Discoveries May Drastically Improve Climate Science

Smithsonian Magazine | June 26, 2025
According to UCR's Bob Allen, the climate mitigation potential of tree restoration may be larger than previously appreciated.
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UCR in the News

Reinventing Online Engagement: AI and Deliberative Democracy

The Good Men Project | June 25, 2025
UC Riverside professor Kevin Esterling, creator of Prytaneum, talks about an AI-powered webinar platform built to foster inclusive, deliberative public discourse. Inspired by ancient democratic principles, Prytaneum enables real-time audience participation and AI synthesis of diverse viewpoints—reshaping how civic engagement happens online.
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UCR in the News

5 things to know about the Inland Empire’s workforce

The Press Enterprise | June 25, 2025
The Press-Enterprise newspaper writes about a just-released workforce report from UCR's Inland Empire Labor and Community Center.
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