News

UC Riverside scientists have developed a technique for solving a decades-old mystery involving the chemical in turkey that makes people sleepy. Their new ability to map the atoms involved in the production of tryptophan opens the door to new antibiotic and antifungal drugs.

New UC Riverside research shows how, after it rains, microbes in desert soil convert one form of pollution into another — laughing gas.

A chemical used in electric vehicle batteries could also give us carbon-free fuel for space flight, according to new UC Riverside research.

University of California, Riverside scientists will join a first-of-its-kind effort to map out California’s so-called “Lithium Valley,” and learn whether it can meet America’s urgent demand for lithium in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way.

New UC Riverside research reveals that items in litter typically originate less than two miles from where they’re found — and unless humans remove them, most of these items will never leave the environment.

A new study leaves large tooth marks in previous conclusions about the body shape of the Megalodon, one of the largest sharks that ever lived.

Your gut bacteria need vitamin B12 just as much as you do. Though DNA is usually passed from parent to child, new research shows gut bacteria transfer genes through “sex” in order to take their vitamins.

It is unlikely that a cancer-causing chemical inside your car can be dusted or wiped way, according to new UC Riverside research.

Black eyed peas’ ability to attract beneficial bacteria isn’t diminished by modern farming practices, new UC Riverside research shows. Planting it in rotation with other crops could help growers avoid the need for costly, environmentally damaging fertilizers.

UC Riverside scientists have named a newly discovered species of worm that kills tarantulas after American actor, musician and producer Jeff Daniels, a distinction no other entertainer can claim.

A UC Riverside astronomer and a group of eagle-eyed citizen scientists have discovered a giant gas planet hidden from view by typical stargazing tools.

UC Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane breaks down some unique aspects of the James Webb Space Telescope, explains how separate Venus projects intersect, and how both might benefit Earth.

A new UC Riverside study casts doubt on drought as the driver of ancient Mayan civilization collapse.

A $1.5 million emergency grant is enabling UC Riverside scientists to find plants impervious to a disease threatening America’s citrus fruit supply.

Tiny microbes belching toxic gas helped cause — and prolong — the biggest mass extinction in Earth’s history, a new UC Riverside-led study suggests.

UC Riverside researchers have discovered the genetic basis for a quirk of the animal kingdom — how ant queens produce broods that are entirely male or female.

Scientists from UC Riverside are studying how the popular keto and intermittent fasting diets work on a molecular level, and whether both sexes benefit from them equally.

A floating, robotic film designed at UC Riverside could be trained to hoover oil spills at sea or remove contaminants from drinking water.

Prevailing theories posit plaques in the brain cause Alzheimer’s disease. New UC Riverside research points to cells’ slowing ability to clean themselves as the likely cause of unhealthy brain buildup.

Typically, bees don’t eat meat. However, a species of stingless 'vulture' bee in the tropics has evolved the ability to do so, presumably due to intense competition for nectar. UC Riverside scientists find these bees' guts resemble those of hyenas and other carrion feeders.