ZME SCIENCE - Whether you’re a human or a mouse, staying physically active is good for you. But one of the central ideas in evolutionary biology is that everything comes with trade-offs. If you dedicate too much energy to becoming stronger or faster, that’s energy that can’t be spent on repairing the body or living...
For 11 undergraduate students, summer research at UC Riverside meant counting butterflies, tracking bumblebees, studying forest ecosystems, monitoring desert tortoises and spending long days — and sometimes nights — conducting research in some of Southern California’s most distinctive natural environments. The students gathered at UC Riverside on Aug. 14 to share what they learned through...
For community college students considering a future in science, spending a day in a university research laboratory can help them see what that future might look like. This fall, UC Riverside's Sequencing to Success program will once again invite community college students to campus for a free, two-day molecular biology workshop that combines hands-on research...
More than 50 community college and visiting university students spent their summer inside UC Riverside research labs, working alongside faculty and graduate student mentors and gaining firsthand experience with life at a major research university. On Aug. 12, 53 students capped that experience at the first RISE 8-Week Summer Research Symposium, presenting research conducted across...
THE HEALTHY - Researchers specializing in behavioral science and bioinformatics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the University of California, Riverside reports: “We used 2016–2020 data where traditional grocery store and dollar store locations across the contiguous US were geocoded and assigned as standard quality (SQ) and low-quality (LQ) respectively.” The ratings have to...
On a balcony outside the House Committee on Agriculture hearing room in the Longworth House Office Building in Washington, D.C., congressional staff, agricultural leaders and policymakers gathered around displays showcasing the future of American agriculture. Representing six universities, each display featured agricultural innovations made possible through decades of scientific research. Participating institutions included The Ohio...
When UC Riverside Distinguished Professor of Geology Mary Droser began conducting research in South Australia's Flinders Ranges 25 years ago, the remote fossil site where she worked was part of a cattle station. Today, it is part of Nilpena Ediacara National Park, an internationally significant research site containing some of the world's best fossil evidence...
LOS ANGELES TIMES - For a couple of months, Norco resident John Baynes desperately searched for answers. His 10-year-old male Labrador named Colt dropped a quarter of his weight from his normally robust 80 pounds and no one knew why. “We were told by the vet that he was in liver failure and that an...
STUDY FINDS - For decades, scientists have assumed that being highly active comes at a price. Push a body harder, burn more energy, and something else must suffer, whether that’s the immune system, reproduction, or lifespan. It’s a tidy idea rooted in basic biology: resources are finite, so spending more on one thing means spending...
STUDY FINDS - Walk into almost any dollar store in America and the shelves usually tell a similar story: rows of shelf-stable snacks, sodium-heavy canned goods, and very little fresh fruit, vegetables, or lean protein. For Americans stretching grocery budgets, dollar stores have become an increasingly important food source, particularly in lower-income communities and places...
NEWSWEEK - The quality of dollar store groceries may contribute to serious health issues, a new study has warned. While consumers may choose cheaper outlets for their food, the quality of food from dollar stores has been linked to higher rates of obesity, high blood pressure, cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. That's according to research...
EARTH.COM - Ant bait does not erase an infestation the moment workers find it. The chemical must spread through a social colony, and that process takes time. That delay can make the first few days hard to read. A drop in food searching may look like success, while a burst of roaming ants may look...
ASSOCIATED PRESS - Bedbugs are sometimes called the vampires of the insect world — hiding during the day and coming out at night to feast on human blood. Generations of children have been told: “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” Well, bad news: Bedbug infestations are increasing. This is the time of year when...
STUDY FINDS - The vanilla flavoring found in over half of tested e-cigarette products may be capable of disrupting cells at the earliest, most fragile stage of pregnancy. A new study published in Human Reproduction found that vanillin, the chemical behind that flavor, pushed early human embryonic stem cells off course at concentrations a model...
AOL - A chemical commonly found in vapes could harm unborn babies, scientists have warned. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) have urged the NHS to warn pregnant women after finding that vanillin, a common flavouring in e-cigarettes, could impair foetal development. They examined the impact of the chemical on embryonic stem cells...
ZME SCIENCE - Discovering Venus-like conditions beyond our Solar System could reveal why some rocky worlds remain havens for life while others become scorching greenhouse infernos. Before solving that mystery, however, astronomers must determine how quickly those distant planets are truly spinning. Slower rotations can cause hellish conditions astronomers see on Venus, but new research...
THE INDEPENDENT - Researchers have urged that expectant mothers receive warnings regarding a "potential harm" associated with a widespread chemical used to give vapes their taste. Laboratory tests revealed that vanillin, a widely used flavouring additive in e-cigarettes, has the potential to "compromise core processes of early human development". According to specialists, women attempting to...
SCIENCE ALERT - At some point in evolutionary history, possibly around 400 million years ago, things started having sex. This adaptational (and sensual) advance introduced multiple benefits by allowing increased gene sharing, thereby helping to prune deleterious mutations and boost general fitness. Avocado trees also ostensibly like to have sex, but face a problem: Each...
THE COOL DOWN - Before a young avocado tree ever produces its first flowers, breeders may now be able to predict whether it will follow the A or B type blooming schedule. Researchers at two University of California campuses identified its corresponding gene, according to a UC Riverside press release. What happened? A research team...
SFGATE - Even as a fixture in California cuisine and a sizable industry for the state’s farmers, avocados have presented an ongoing mystery for scientists: How do they easily flip sexes? In a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, California researchers have finally answered that question by tracing...
