College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

The thrust of the problem

A new understanding of a fault that caused a deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake can help scientists better predict where and when the next big one will hit. For decades, scientists have debated the structure of the Main Himalayan Thrust — the fault responsible for a 2015 earthquake that killed nearly...

By Jules Bernstein | November 11, 2019 | Science / Technology

Scientists crack structure of a novel enzyme linked to cell growth and cancer

UC Riverside-led study could lead to the development of drugs that target liver and other cancers

By Iqbal Pittalwala | November 6, 2019 | Science / Technology, Health

The most spectacular celestial vision you’ll never see

Contrary to previous thought, a gigantic planet in wild orbit does not preclude the presence of an Earth-like planet in the same solar system – or life on that planet. What’s more, the view from that Earth-like planet as its giant neighbor moves past would be unlike anything it is...

By Jules Bernstein | November 4, 2019 | Science / Technology

New research finding gives valleytronics a boost

UC Riverside-led team overcomes a stumbling block in this relatively new technology

By Iqbal Pittalwala | October 28, 2019 | Science / Technology

Physicist Igor Barsukov is an assistant professor at UC Riverside.

Small magnets reveal big secrets

Work by international research team could have wide-ranging impact on information technology applications

By Iqbal Pittalwala | October 24, 2019 | Science / Technology

Game changer: New chemical keeps plants plump

A UC Riverside-led team has created a chemical to help plants hold onto water, which could stem the tide of massive annual crop losses from drought and help farmers grow food despite a changing climate. “Drought is the No. 1 cause, closely tied with flooding, of annual crop failures worldwide,”...

By Jules Bernstein | October 24, 2019 | Science / Technology

Scientists unpack how taste neurons control food intake

UC Riverside-led research on fruit fly could lead to better understanding of how taste information is coded in the brain

By Iqbal Pittalwala | October 22, 2019 | Science / Technology

Cellular vision of a rice root - the green globes are nuclei

UC Riverside helps secure the future of food

If you’re eating fruits, nuts, grains, or vegetables in a few years, you’ll likely owe a debt of gratitude to UC Riverside. The university has created a program to transition today’s undergraduates into professional scientists solving tomorrow’s farming challenges. The program, called Plants-3D, will train students to discover, design, and...

By Jules Bernstein | October 15, 2019 | Science / Technology

Black holes stunt growth of dwarf galaxies

UC Riverside astronomers find large-scale winds associated with active black holes in small galaxies suppress star formation

By Iqbal Pittalwala | October 11, 2019 | Science / Technology

The Milky Way kidnapped several tiny galaxies from its neighbor

UC Riverside-led research shows our galaxy is undergoing a massive merger with its largest satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud

By Iqbal Pittalwala | October 10, 2019 | Science / Technology

Research to focus on small molecule that can help fight breast cancer

UC Riverside and City of Hope awarded Department of Defense grants for the collaborative project

By Iqbal Pittalwala | October 2, 2019 | Science / Technology, Health

Product authentication at your fingertips

UC Riverside-led research brings rapid and reversible switching of plasmonic color to solids

By Iqbal Pittalwala | October 1, 2019 | Science / Technology

Harmful metals found in vapors from tank-style electronic cigarettes

UC Riverside study analyzed six popular e-cigarette tanks and their atomizers

By Iqbal Pittalwala | September 27, 2019 | Science / Technology, Health

UCR astronomers Remington Sexton (left), Christina Manzano-King (center), and Gabriela Canalizo. (UCR/Stan Lim)

Astronomers discover triplet of black holes on collision course

Unique expertise of UC Riverside scientists helped make the discovery

By Iqbal Pittalwala | September 26, 2019 | Science / Technology

Grains in the rain

Of the major food crops, only rice is currently able to survive flooding. Thanks to new research, that could soon change -- good news for a world in which rains are increasing in both frequency and intensity. The research, published today in Science , studied how other crops compare to...

By Jules Bernstein | September 18, 2019 | Science / Technology

Testing chemicals for birth defects using stem cells, not mice

UC Riverside researchers are helping the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency eliminate animal testing

By Holly Ober | September 18, 2019 | Science / Technology

wild male and female guppies. Credit: Harold Olsen

Guppies teach us why evolution happens

Guppies, a perennial pet store favorite, have helped a UC Riverside scientist unlock a key question about evolution: Do animals evolve in response to the risk of being eaten, or to the environment that they create in the absence of predators? Turns out, it’s the latter. Guppies swim near the...

By Jules Bernstein | September 17, 2019 | Science / Technology

Climate change: a dirt-y business

Groundwater is essential for growing crops, but new research shows climate change is making it harder for soil to absorb rainfall. While the idea that soil particles rearrange themselves in response to environmental conditions is not new, scientists once thought these shifts in the ground happened slowly. Not anymore. Scientists...

By Jules Bernstein | September 10, 2019 | Science / Technology

Buzzkill?

They say love is blind, but if you’re a queen honeybee it could mean true loss of sight. New research finds male honeybees inject toxins during sex that cause temporary blindness. All sexual activity occurs during a brief early period in a honeybee’s life, during which males die and queens...

By Jules Bernstein | September 9, 2019 | Science / Technology

tumbleweed invasion in Clovis, New Mexico

Monster tumbleweed: Invasive new species is here to stay

A new species of gigantic tumbleweed once predicted to go extinct is not only here to stay — it’s likely to expand its territory. The species, Salsola ryanii, is significantly larger than either of its parent plants, which can grow up to 6 feet tall. A new study from UC...

By Jules Bernstein | August 23, 2019 | Science / Technology

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