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College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences

Latest CNAS in the Media

‘Solar-powered vacuum cleaners’: the native plants that could clean toxic soil

THE GUARDIAN - It almost looked like a garden. In Taylor Yard, a former railyard near downtown Los Angeles, volunteers knelt down to tend to scrubby plants growing in neat rows under the sweltering sun. But beneath the concrete of the 60-acre site overlooking the Los Angeles River, the soils were soaked with an assortment...
By Doug Bierend | The Guardian |

Dark matter and Einstein rings solve ancient galaxy mystery

EARTH.COM - A team of researchers led by Hai-Bo Yu, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Riverside, has shed new light on the enigmatic nature of dark matter through the lens of an ancient galaxy. The study focuses on JWST-ER1g, a massive ancient galaxy discovered by the James Webb Space...
By Eric Ralls | Earth.com |

Insecticide Spraying Of Trees Shuts Down Crystal Lake Recreation Area

LAIST.COM - If you had plans to visit the Crystal Lake recreation area in the San Gabriel Mountains and Angeles National Forest this week, you should change them. Officials closed the area Tuesday to spray insecticide on pine trees to protect them from a tree-colonizing beetle. The western pine beetle is small, about 3 to...
By Nate Perez | LAist |

A Virus May Help Save The World’s Amphibians From Extinction

FORBES - A deadly fungus that is devastating frogs and toads around the world may in fact be vulnerable to a virus that can infect it. The fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis also known as Bd or the amphibian chytrid fungus, causes chytridiomycosis in amphibians. This fungus is a pathogen that infects and destroys the skin of...
By GrrlScientist | Forbes |

Could a new virus put an end to the global amphibian pandemic?

EARTH.COM - A team of scientists led by the University of California, Riverside (UCR) may have found a potential weak point in the fight against a fungus decimating frog and toad populations across the globe. The study focused on a virus that infects the fungus responsible for the global amphibian pandemic, offering a possible avenue...
By Andrei Ionescu | Earth.com |

New virus found lurking in the genome of deadly chytrid fungus

COSMOS - There’s new hope today for the future of the globe’s amphibians which are being wiped out by a devastating disease. The fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd, causes the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis. Now, the first discovery of a virus that infects Bd has been described in a paper in the journal Current Biology, which...
By Imma Perfetto | Cosmos Magazine |

Why Extrasolar Earths Will Also Have Trees

FORBES - With spring in the Northern Hemisphere in full bloom, forests are again beckoning hikers onto paths that wend their way through thousands of acres of old growth trees. Such forests not only offer salve for the soul, but their role in Earth’s ecology is arguably crucial to the health of our planet. But...
By Bruce Dorminey | Forbes |

Why the spread of organic farms may prompt growers to use more pesticide, not less

LOS ANGELES TIMES - To help California fight climate change, air quality regulators would like to see 20% of the state’s farmland go organic by 2045. That means converting about 65,000 acres of conventional fields to organic practices every year. “We expect an increase in organic in the future,” said study leader Ashley Larsen, a...
By Karen Kaplan | LA Times |

Don’t Panic, But A Lot of Stars Seem to Eat Their Own Planets

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN - Is our solar system quotidian or quirky? It’s one of the greatest questions in astronomy, and scientists are getting a little bit of a handle on it as they examine the more than 5,500 exoplanets (and counting) discovered around other stars. Reaching an answer is, however, confounded by a rather dramatic problem...

By Robin George Andrews | Scientific American |

Warning: Dog-killing "liver fluke" parasite discovered in US for the first time

EARTH.COM - For the first time, scientists have confirmed the presence of a potentially fatal dog parasite, liver fluke, in a section of the Colorado River that traverses California. This revelation from scientists at UC Riverside has prompted urgent calls for public awareness due to the serious health risk it poses to pets. Heterobilharzia americana...
By Eric Ralls | Earth.com |

California Dog Owners Warned of Lethal River Parasite

NEWSWEEK - A parasite that could potentially kill your pet dog has been discovered lurking in a section of the Colorado River that runs through Southern California. This parasite is a flatworm named Heterobilharzia americana, also known as a liver fluke, and has previously only been found in Texas and other states on the Gulf...
By Jess Thomson | Newsweek |

Dog-killing flatworm parasite discovered in new state as scientists warn of spread West

USA TODAY - A dog-killing parasite that was believed to only exist in Texas and other Gulf Coast states has been discovered as far west as California for the first time, scientists have warned. Experts at the University of California Riverside found the Heterobilharzia americana parasite, a flatworm commonly known as a liver fluke, in...
By Mary Walrath-Holdridge | USA TODAY |

Dog-killing worms found in California for the first time: Scientists discover hundreds of snails in Colorado River harboring the parasite that has killed at least one pet

THE DAILY MAIL - Scientists have discovered dog-killing worms in Southern California for the first time, which have infected at least 11 pets - one of which died. A team at the University of California Riverside (UCR) found Heterobilharzia americana, a flatworm commonly referred to as liver fluke, are being transmitted by snails living along...
By Stacy Liberatore | DailyMail.com |

Parasite found in Riverside County linked to illness sickening dogs

KNBC-TV / LOS ANGELES - Researchers in Riverside have pinpointed the cause of a potentially fatal illness in dogs in recent weeks and are warning pet owners to beware of a particular location in Southern California. Adler Dillman, a professor at the University of California Riverside-turned-pet detective, said he researched a mysterious illness that sickened...
By Robert Kovacik and Karla Rendon | KNBC-TV |

Potentially fatal dog parasite found in Southern California river: Report

KTLA 5 LOS ANGELES - A parasite that can be fatal to dogs has been found in a river that runs through Southern California, according to a new report. The parasite, Heterobilharzia Americana, is a flatworm also known as liver fluke, an article posted by UC Riverside News Thursday states. “Dogs can die from this...
By Tony Kurzweil | KTLA 5 |

Presence of parasite that’s deadly for dogs now confirmed in California: Signs to watch for

LOS ANGELES TIMES - For five years, an elusive tormentor of animals hid from authorities in east Riverside County as 10 dogs were injured and another killed. The victims hailed from Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties, while the suspect maintained a strong alibi: It had never visited California. It took authorities years to discover...
By Andrew J. Campa | LA Times |

Vaping 'may increase risk of catching Covid' as users given grim warning in new study

THE MIRROR - Vapers have been warned of the risks as chemicals in e-cigarettes enhance the chances of catching Covid, a new study found. University of California scientists have shown that two chemicals, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, enhanced Covid infection through different mechanisms. And they found that adding benzoic acid, a chemical compound, to...
By Tim Hanlon | The Mirror |

How lightning on exoplanets could make it harder to find alien life

POPULAR SCIENCE - We’re used to thunder and lightning here on Earth. But what might they be like on another planet? We know other worlds in the solar system have lightning strikes, for example, high in the clouds of Jupiter or during dust storms on Mars. Now, astronomers are thinking about lightning on planets beyond...

By Briley Lewis | Popular Science |

Taking the Stand

SCIENCE MAGAZINE - Late last year, the sound of scientific argument echoed through a New York City courtroom packed with legal and financial experts. Studies from top epidemiology journals flashed onto large screens, as lawyers debated their statistical power and whether their conclusions rested on “cherry-picked” data. Billions of dollars were at stake. Some scientists...
By Dan Charles | Science |

The Smell of Ripe Fruit Could Halt The Growth of Cancer Cells

SCIENCE ALERT - Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic kicked off, we've been far more aware of our sense of smell. Now, new research shows that odors – like those emanating from ripening fruits or fermented foods – can lead to changes in how genes are expressed inside cells far beyond the nose. "That exposure to...
By Clare Watson | Science Alert |
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