Without this, plants cannot respond to temperature

UC Riverside scientists have significantly advanced the race to control plant responses to temperature on a rapidly warming planet. Key to this breakthrough is miRNA, a molecule nearly 200,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Hunting Venus 2.0: Scientists sharpen their sights

With the first paper compiling all known information about planets like Venus beyond our solar system, scientists are the closest they’ve ever been to finding an analog of Earth’s “twin.”

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Humans bite back by deactivating mosquito sperm

New UC Riverside research makes it likely that proteins responsible for activating mosquito sperm can be shut down, preventing them from swimming to or fertilizing eggs.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

The planet that could end life on Earth

A terrestrial planet hovering between Mars and Jupiter would be able to push Earth out of the solar system and wipe out life on this planet, according to a UC Riverside experiment.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Breathing is going to get tougher

When global temperatures increase by 4 degrees Celsius, harmful plant emissions and dust will also increase by as much as 14 percent, according to new UC Riverside research.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

California will inevitably shake like Turkey

Many in California have questions about the conditions that caused the Turkish earthquake, and wonder whether the western U.S. is likely to suffer a similar fate. UC Riverside seismologist David Oglesby weighs in with answers.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Fungi and bacteria are binging on burned soil

UC Riverside researchers have identified tiny organisms that not only survive but thrive during the first year after a wildfire. The findings could help bring land back to life after fires that are increasing in both size and severity.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Soil tainted by air pollution expels carbon

New UC Riverside research suggests nitrogen released by gas-powered machines causes dry soil to let go of carbon and release it back into the atmosphere, where it can contribute to climate change.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Prof pours cold water on coffee pod controversy

New research from the University of Quebec declares coffee pods are “better for the planet than filtered brew.” Here to weigh in on the matter is UCR's Andrew Gray, who studies the movement of plastic pollutants through the environment.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Landscaping for drought: we’re doing it wrong

Many Southern Californians plant trees prized for drought tolerance, but a new UC Riverside-led study shows that these trees lose this tolerance once they’re watered.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Decoding the secret language of photosynthesis

For decades, scientists have been stumped by the signals plants send themselves to initiate photosynthesis, the process of turning sunlight into sugars. UC Riverside researchers have now decoded those previously opaque signals.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Precise solar observations fed millions in ancient Mexico

Without clocks or modern tools, ancient Mexicans watched the sun to maintain a farming calendar that precisely tracked seasons and even adjusted for leap years.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Post-lockdown auto emissions can’t hide in the grass

University of California scientists have a new way to demonstrate which neighborhoods are most affected by air pollution from vehicle emissions. Their technique could help ensure people most affected by pollution will benefit from efforts to reduce it.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

How giant-faced owls snag voles hidden in snow 

Great gray owls’ physical features, especially parts of their wings and face, help them correct for sonic distortions caused by snow, enabling them to find moving food with astonishing accuracy, according to a new UC Riverside study.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Earth might be experiencing 7th mass extinction, not 6th

New research suggests environmental changes caused the first mass extinction event in history, which occurred millions of years earlier than scientists previously realized.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Injections for diabetes, cancer could become unnecessary

Researchers at UC Riverside are paving the way for diabetes and cancer patients to forget needles and injections, and instead take pills to manage their conditions.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

The unintended consequences of using a ventilator

Breakthrough research addresses a long-standing question in pulmonary medicine about whether modern ventilators overstretch lung tissue. They do.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Discovery could dramatically narrow search for space creatures

An Earth-like planet orbiting an M dwarf — the most common type of star in the universe — appears to have no atmosphere at all. This discovery could cause a major shift in the search for life on other planets.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Broccoli gas: a better way to find life in space 

Broccoli, along with other plants and microorganisms, emit gases to help them expel toxins. Scientists believe these gases could provide compelling evidence of life on other planets.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Why the Salton Sea is turning into toxic dust

The Salton Sea, California’s most polluted inland lake, has lost a third of its water in the last 25 years. New research has determined a decline in Colorado River flow is the reason for that shrinking.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology