Latest Articles

How a few geothermal plants could solve America’s lithium supply crunch and boost the EV battery industry

THE CONVERSATION — Geothermal energy has long been the forgotten member of the clean energy family, overshadowed by relatively cheap solar and wind power, despite its proven potential. But that may soon change – for an unexpected reason. As a geologist who works with geothermal brines and an energy policy scholar, we believe this technology...
By Bryant Jones and Michael McKibben |

Bee home before dark. Why honey and bumble bees can't fly at night

USA TODAY - Honey bees and bumble bees only fly during the day. Even though these bees cannot technically see, they can use the sun's rays (polarized light) to guide them, said Quinn S. McFrederick, associate professor of entomology at the University of California Riverside. Bees have compound eyes, one on each on the side...
By Maria Jimenez Moya |
head of a praying mantis

WHO’S EATING WHO?

You never forget the moment when your path in life becomes clear. For Erin Wilson-Rankin, that moment came in an undergraduate classroom at Georgetown University when she learned about a caterpillar that evades predators by flinging its poop. “It was actually my professor, Martha Weiss, talking about her own research into the silver-spotted skipper butterfly...
By Jules Bernstein | UCR Magazine |

Why so many dead galaxies in this galaxy cluster?

EARTHSKY - You’d expect active star formation in the early universe, when all things were just beginning. And indeed, when they look far out into space (and therefore far back in time), astronomers do see active, blue star-forming regions. But a newly analyzed protocluster, or newborn galaxy cluster, bucks that trend. It appears to exist...
By Kelly Kizer Whitt |

Megalodon's true appearance remains a mystery

EARTH.COM - A surprising new study from UC Riverside has revealed that we still don’t know what the body of Megalodon actually looked like. Despite its notoriety as one of the largest and most fearsome sharks that ever lived, it turns out that much about Megalodon’s appearance remains a mystery. “The study may appear to...
By Chrissy Sexton |

The tree of life and the table of the elements

OUP Blog — Darwin’s tree of life and Mendeleev’s periodic table of the elements share a number of interesting parallels, the most meaningful of which lie in the central role that each plays in its respective domain. Darwin’s tree of life, incidentally the only diagram of which appears in his book The Origin of Species...
By Eric Scerri and David Reznick |

Mystery of abandoned Mayan lost cities deepens with plant discovery

YAHOO NEWS — Archaeologists have been trying to figure out what happened to the Maya for 100 years - after Mayan cities were mysteriously depopulated in the ninth century. But new analysis by researchers by University of California, Riverside archaeologist Scott Fedick and plant physiologist Louis Santiago shows the Maya had nearly 500 edible plants...
By Rob Waugh |
bell tower

Remembering Professor Emeritus of Nematology Reinhold Mankau

Reinhold Mankau passed away on Sunday, December 5, 2021, in Riverside, California. Known by his family, friends, and colleagues as Ron, he was a faculty member at the University of California, Riverside for 33 years. He belonged to the first generation of scientists that gave the UCR Department of Nematology its stellar worldwide reputation. Ron...
CNAS 2021 Holiday Card

Holiday Message from CNAS Dean Kathryn Uhrich

Dear CNAS Community, Having the UCR community back on campus this past quarter has made this holiday season a special one for me. When on campus, I have the opportunity to talk with you and discuss the amazing things happening across UCR and CNAS, in particular. I am incredibly proud of your contributions and accomplishments...

Hawaii’s Avocado Farmers Are Bracing For A New Threat

HONOLULU CIVIL BEAT - Mark Hoddle, a biological control specialist who studies avocado lace bug at the University of California at Riverside, said the insect appears to be more aggressive in tropical climates like Hawaii. In sticky, humid conditions in the Caribbean, the avocado lace bug seems to cause more damage than it does at...
By Brittany Lyte | Honolulu Civil Beat |

Scientists say they might have discovered the cause of Alzheimer's

THE HILL - Scientists in California tried to study Alzheimer’s disease from a different perspective and the results may have led them to the cause of the disease. Researchers at the University of California- Riverside (UCR) recently published results from a study that looked at a protein called tau. By studying the different forms tau...
By Shirin Ali | The Hill |

Can lithium cure what ails the Salton Sea?

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES - Studying the complexity of mud on the ocean floor is a life’s work for Timothy Lyons, so when the tall and lean biogeochemist asks you to join an expedition in search of chemical mysteries buried deep beneath the waves, be prepared to get wet and dirty. On a recent foray...
By Louis Sahagun | LA Times |
Sophia Parks

Student Spotlight: Sophia Parks

Name: Sophia Parks Hometown: Murrieta, CA Undergraduate school, major and graduation year: University of California, Riverside, BS in Neuroscience, 2017 Graduate school, program, and graduation year: University of California, Riverside, Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology/Nematology, expected 2021 Websites: dillmanlab.org and propel.stanford.edu/scholar How did you become interested in your field of study? I have been interested in...
Dr. Isgouhi Kaloshian and Dr. Katherine Borkovich in COVID-19 Lab (c) UCR

COVID-19 testing lab moves to larger space

UC Riverside’s COVID-19 testing lab has moved to a larger space at Webber Hall, where the lab team has more than doubled the number of samples it can process. The move was completed Sept. 15, a day before move-in weekend, when the lab tested around 7,000 samples from incoming student residents over a five-day period...
By Imran Ghori | Inside UCR |

SciCommUCR Beyond the Bench Podcast with Dean Kathryn Uhrich

SCICOMMUCR/BEYOND THE BENCH PODCAST - SciCommUCR is a student organization working to communicate science in creative ways and bring science communication training to the University of California, Riverside community. In 2019, SciCommUCR started with their communication workshop, Let's Talk Science. They are currently producing the second season of their podcast, Beyond the Bench. Beyond the...
CNAS Dean Kathryn Uhrich

Dean Uhrich Welcomes CNAS Community

Dear CNAS Community, Welcome to the 2021-2022 academic year! Whether this is your first time on campus or you are returning to UCR, many of us have been eager for the fall quarter to start and to be on campus… and here we are! As we transition back to in-person learning and continue to adapt...
Sunset UCR

In memory of Dr. Shawn Biehler, Professor Emeritus of Geophysics

Dr. Shawn Biehler was a beloved educator and researcher at UC Riverside. Shawn was born in New Jersey in 1937. He earned his B.S. in Geological Engineering at Princeton University in 1958, following up at the California Institute of Technology with an M.S. in 1961 and a Ph.D. in 1964. After ten years as a...
UCR Bell Tower

Spotlight: CNAS Department Chairs 2021

With the CNAS community back on campus, your department chairs want to make sure that you are on-track for a stellar year. In this edition of the CNAS Blog, find out what they are looking forward to with students being back on campus, how students can get involved in research, and tips to succeed both...
CNAS Welcomes New 202102022 Faculty

CNAS Welcomes New 2021-2022 Faculty

The College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside is proud to welcome new faculty members to CNAS. Their expertise in sciences plays a major role in what the CNAS community can expect when they return to campus this fall and in the years ahead. Our newest faculty members join a growing roster of...
ESA Awards Thomas Perring Kadie Britt Caleb Hubbard

The Entomological Society of America Names Winners of 2021 Professional and Student Awards

The Entomological Society of America congratulates the winners of its 2021 awards. The awards recognize scientists, educators, and students who have distinguished themselves through their contributions to entomology. Winners will be honored during Entomology 2021, ESA's Annual Meeting, taking place in-person and online, October 31 – November 3, in Denver, Colorado. To view the full...
By The Entomological Society of America |
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