29,000
acres and more serve as a real-life laboratory for plant research
36,683
alumni and counting making a difference
2
Nobel Laureates and 19 National Academies members on the faculty
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CNAS Science News

July 01, 2025
Sugar, the hidden thermostat in plants
For a decade, scientists have believed that plants sensed temperature mainly through specialized proteins, and mainly at night when the air is cool. New research suggests that during the day, another signal takes over. Sugar, produced in sunlight, helps plants detect heat and decide when to grow.

July 01, 2025
Pair of malaria parasite proteins could lead to therapies
A University of California, Riverside-led team has made an advance in the basic understanding of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the deadliest form of human malaria, that could make novel, highly targeted anti-malarial therapies possible.

June 23, 2025
Tomatoes in the Galápagos are de-evolving
Wild-growing tomatoes are on the black-rock islands of the Galápagos are doing something peculiar. They’re shedding millions of years of evolution, reverting to a primitive genetic state that resurrects ancient chemical defenses.

June 20, 2025
Strange Atlantic cold spot traced to ocean slowdown
For more than a century, a patch of cold water south of Greenland has resisted the Atlantic Ocean’s overall warming, fueling debate amongst scientists. A new study identifies the cause as the long-term weakening of a major ocean circulation system.
A Message from Dean Peter Atkinson
On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students from the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside, I welcome you to our college and campus.
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June 24, 2025
Highlights from UCR’s 71st Commencement
UC Riverside concluded its 71st Commencement season on June 17, with UCR’s Class of 2025 walking at eight discipline- or degree-based ceremonies.
Approximately 6,100 graduates, 35,000 in-person guests, 32,000 online streamers, and about 375 volunteer staff participated in the celebrations, which started on June 6.
Highlanders belonging to specific groups also took part in additional micro celebrations organized by various student resources like the University Honors Cording, and year-end celebrations hosted by UCR’s ethnic and gender centers.

June 11, 2025
Physicist recognized for contributions to cosmic ray physics
Barry Barish will receive the IUPAP-TIFR Homi Bhabha Award in July

June 11, 2025
How did supermassive black holes form in the early universe?
John Templeton Foundation grant to UCR will support research by physicist Hai-Bo Yu

May 09, 2025
Physicist elected member of American Philosophical Society
Barry Barish is one of only 38 new members of North America’s oldest learned society