News

Replanting forests can cool the planet even more than some scientists once believed, especially in the tropics. But even if every tree lost since the mid-19th century is replanted, the total effect won’t cancel out human-generated warming.

A UC Riverside-led study has found that a smartphone app that tracks household water use and alerts users to leaks or excessive consumption offers a promising tool for helping California water agencies meet state-mandated conservation goals. The study found that use of the app—called Dropcountr—reduced average household water use by...

Study shows how turf algae undermine kelp forest recovery

Courtesy of UC Riverside, biologists and chemists have a new programming language to uncover previously unknown environmental pollutants and other information at breakneck speed – without requiring them to code.

On April 29, UC Riverside doctoral candidate Angeliz Vargas Casillas placed third in the 2025 UC Grad Slam, an annual competition challenging graduate students from the 10 UC campuses to effectively pitch their years-long Ph.D. research ... within three minutes ... using one single presentation slide. Gulp. The competition took...

A grant from the U.S. Department of Defense will allow UCR researchers to address one of physics' most complex mysteries - the process by which light transfers energy through materials.

UC Riverside, in partnership with city and state agencies, has helped launch the nation's only hydrogen-powered carshare program—offering a clean, affordable transportation alternative to Riverside residents. The Riverside Clean Air Carshare, or RCAC , program offers 13 Toyota Mirai sedans equipped with hydrogen fuel cell technology. Participants can reserve a...

UC Riverside researchers find a chemical able to kill about 95 percent of a drywood termite colony without off-target effects on mammals.

UC Riverside professor of environmental toxicology, David Volz argues that California lawmakers should prevent furniture manufacturers from going back to using toxic, ineffective chemical flame retardants.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) welcomes two UC Riverside professors as new members: Mary Droser, distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences, and Hailing Jin, Cy Mouradick Endowed Chair of microbiology and plant pathology.

Online webinar platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams have enabled public discourse at an unprecedented scale. But when hundreds of people join a meeting, the flow of feedback—often reduced to rapid-fire chat messages—becomes chaotic and overwhelming. Kevin Esterling, a public policy and political science professor at UC Riverside...

Once thought resistant to invasion, regional deserts are losing native plants to aggressive weedy species like Saharan mustard. UC Riverside research shows its spread is disrupting biodiversity and reducing the desert’s ability to recover from extreme climate swings.

Chemists have confirmed a 67-year-old theory about vitamin B1 by stabilizing a reactive molecule in water — a feat long thought impossible.

UC Riverside-led study could help advance treatments for injuries, aging, and diseases

Despite modern cars generally being cleaner and more fuel efficient, a University of California, Riverside study shows that higher speed limits can make city air dirtier.

Parasitic weeds are ruthless freeloaders, stealing nutrients from crops and devastating harvests. But what if farmers could trick these invaders into self-destructing? Scientists at UC Riverside think they’ve found a way.

UCR physicist a key member of international collaboration that produced the images

UC Riverside scientists identify a new way to detect life in outer space with currently existing telescopes. The method hinges on worlds that look nothing like Earth, and gases rarely considered in the search for extraterrestrials.

UC Riverside receives $4M from UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program

The megalodon has long been imagined as an enormous great white shark, but new research suggests that perception is all wrong. The study finds the prehistoric hunter had a much longer body—closer in shape to a lemon shark or even a large whale. The study team, which included researchers from...