Biological cleanup discovered for certain “forever chemicals”

University of California, Riverside, chemical and environmental engineering scientists have identified two species of bacteria found in soil that break down a class of stubborn “forever chemicals,” giving hope for low-cost biological cleanup of industrial pollutants. These bacteria destroy a subgroup of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, that have...

By David Danelski | | Science / Technology

Breaking the heat barrier of computer innovation

As our computers and other electronic devices become faster and more powerful, they are coming closer to an undeniable physical limitation: heat generated by the electrons that carry information as they move through semiconductors. “Making heat is a fundamental limit that will prevent the further development of electronic devices. So...

AI programs consume large volumes of scarce water

UCR study the first time estimates the huge water footprint from running artificial intelligence queries that rely on the cloud computations done in racks of servers that must be kept cool in warehouse-sized data processing centers.

By David Danelski | | Science / Technology

UCR team creates “quantum composites” for various electrical and optical innovations

UCR team has shown in the laboratory the unique and practical function of newly created materials, which they called quantum composites, that may advance electrical, optical, and computer technologies.

By David Danelski | | Science / Technology

Researchers warn of tick-borne disease babesiosis

UC Riverside and Yale University team sequences and mines genome of the pathogen Babesia duncani

UCR environmental engineers to referee California’s big rig truck emission regulation

They won’t be wearing vivid black and white striped shirts, but they could. University of California, Riverside, environmental engineers will soon serve as referees in California’s drive for big rig trucks to meet the state’s tailpipe emission standards. The referee program will provide testing services for vehicles potentially operating with...

Is ChatGPT a threat to education?

UC Riverside experts share thoughts on the AI-powered language model that understands and responds to natural language

By Iqbal Pittalwala | | Science / Technology

Turning plastic waste into a valuable soil additive

University of California, Riverside, scientists have moved a step closer to finding a use for the hundreds of millions of tons of plastic waste produced every year that often winds up clogging streams and rivers and polluting our oceans. In a recent study, Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz, a UCR assistant professor...

By David Danelski | | Science / Technology

Pollution cleanup method destroys toxic “forever chemicals”

An insidious category of carcinogenic pollutants known as “forever chemicals” may not be so permanent after all. University of California, Riverside, chemical engineering and environmental scientists recently published new methods to chemically break up these harmful substances found in drinking water into smaller compounds that are essentially harmless. The patent-pending...

By David Danelski | | Science / Technology

Creating a diverse educational pipeline in microelectronics

Scientists at UC Riverside and UC Irvine have received funding of $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, or DOE, to team up with Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in building a diverse educational pipeline in the field of microelectronics — a priority for industry and government...

By Iqbal Pittalwala | | 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

Robot sleeves for kids with cerebral palsy

UC Riverside engineers are developing low-cost, robotic “clothing” to help children with cerebral palsy gain control over their arm movements.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

New program aims to increase Latinx students conducting environmental research

A $342,000 grant has allowed the expansion of a UC Berkeley program to UCR.

By Sandra Baltazar Martínez | | University

NSF-funded project aims to enhance STEM graduate training in sustainable transportation

New UC Riverside program will train doctoral students on translating science into public policy

Upward ventilation offers better protection from indoor coronavirus transmission

A simple change in the direction of the air forced through indoor gathering spaces by heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems, could reduce the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19.

Artificial photosynthesis can produce food without sunshine

Scientists are developing artificial photosynthesis to help make food production more energy-efficient here on Earth, and one day possibly on Mars

By Holly Ober | | Science / Technology

Protecting computer vision from adversarial attacks

UC Riverside engineers are developing methods to keep self-driving cars and autonomous drones from being hacked

By Holly Ober | | Science / Technology

No more flu for you? Discovery blocks influenza virus’ replication in cells

SUMOylation inhibitor could lead to highly effective ways to treat the flu and other respiratory viruses

By Holly Ober | | Science / Technology

A drunk driver killed her parents. Now she’s graduating to honor them

Azalea Corral has a family photo that shows her three younger siblings and parents smiling together against a Santa Barbara countryside backdrop. It was taken on February 8, 2020 — the last time they would pose together for a photo. The following day, both her parents succumbed to bodily injuries...

Microbes can degrade the toughest PFAS

Under anaerobic conditions, common microbial communities can break the ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bond

By Holly Ober | | Science / Technology