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College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences

Latest CNAS in the Media

Scientists finally confirm the 'crazy' hypothesis about vitamin B1 from 1958

EARTH.COM - Scientists once dismissed a 1958 hypothesis about vitamin B1, or thiamine, as unlikely. The idea was that this vitamin, vital for basic metabolic functions, might turn into a very reactive intermediate during certain biochemical processes. Now, researchers have shown that the hunch was correct. Prof. Vincent Lavallo from the University of California, Riverside...
By Jordan Joseph | Earth.com |

Super-shielded carbene is stable in liquid water

CHEMISTRY WORLD - A new ‘super-shielded’ carbene is stable in liquid water solutions. The US team that made the carbene claims that it ‘unambiguously confirms’ that it is possible to generate carbenes in an aqueous environment – validating a hypothesis put forward almost 70 years ago by the famed organic chemist Ronald Breslow. In the...
By Jamie Durrani | Chemistry World |

How to Get the Most Juice From Your Lemons (Without a Fancy Gadget)

MARTHA STEWART - Whether you are baking, cooking, or mixing up a cocktail, knowing how to juice a lemon properly can make a big difference. The humble yellow fruit might not seem complicated, but factors like temperature, storage, variety, and even the way you cut it can all impact how much juice you get. We're...
By Lynn Andriani | Martha Stewart |

National Academy of Sciences elects members and international members

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES - The National Academy of Sciences announced today the election of 120 members and 30 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Those elected today bring the total number of active members to 2,662 and the total number of international members to 556. International members...
By Molly Galvin | National Academy of Sciences |

Report details the widespread impacts of dust on California

SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY - Researchers from several University of California campuses have collaborated to create a report on dust in California, a characteristic that defines the desert climate zone that encompasses most of the state. The regions where dust storms occur encompass an area greater than 55,000 square miles and are home to nearly...
By Robert Monroe | Scripps Institution of Oceanography |

Scientists just confirmed a 67-year-old hypothesis about Vitamin B1

SCIENCEALERT - You often need a lot of patience to be a scientist, and that's certainly been the case for researchers who have now found solid evidence for a hypothesis around vitamin B1 (or thiamine) that was first put forward almost 70 years ago. In 1958, Columbia University chemist Ronald Breslow proposed that vitamin B1...
By David Nield | ScienceAlert |

Did the James Webb telescope really find evidence of alien life? Here's the truth about exoplanet K2-18b.

LIVE SCIENCE - The trendiest planet in the universe right now is K2-18b, a potentially habitable world swirling around a small, red star in the constellation Leo. Located 124 light-years from Earth, the mysterious planet will never host human visitors — but a recent glimpse with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) hints that alien...
By Brandon Specktor | Live Science |

Have signs of life been found in space? Scientists are calling that into question

THE INDEPENDENT UK - It’s one of humanity’s oldest questions. Are we alone? Is there life elsewhere in our galaxy or the universe? Scientists last week made a stunning announcement that they had found the “strongest evidence yet” of life beyond our solar system. A team of astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope said...
By Julia Musto | The Independent UK |

Scientists issue warning over newly discovered species that is already on the brink of extinction: 'Quite distinct'

THE COOL DOWN - Urban development in California is threatening a new manzanita species — a plant species already considered highly vulnerable since its discovery in the area. What's happening? The Dana Reserve project, a housing development in Nipomo, is a 288-acre community with 1,370 residential units on land where a new manzanita species was...
By Yei Ling Ma | The Cool Down |

Trump's NASA Cuts Would Decimate U.S. Venus Science

FORBES - Preliminary budget cuts proposed by the Trump Administration would slash a huge swath out of NASA's Venus science funding. And it would spell the end of the space agency’s much anticipated $500 million DAVINCI mission, an orbiter and atmospheric probe, which had been due for launch to our sister planet in 2030. The...
By Bruce Dorminey | Forbes |

Scientists detect signature of life on a distant planet, study suggests

CNN - A team of astronomers have detected what they call the most promising signs to date of a possible biosignature, or signs of past or present life linked to biological activity, on an exoplanet named K2-18b. But the study authors, and other experts, remain cautious and have not declared a definitive discovery of life...
By Ashley Strickland | CNN |

Scientists discover signs of possible alien life

NEWSWEEK - Scientists say they may have detected signs of biological activity on a planet outside our solar system, in what some describe as the "strongest evidence" so far in the ongoing search for life beyond Earth. "This is a question humanity has been asking for thousands of years, and if you're witnessing it for...
By Dan Cody | Newsweek |

Are there signs of life on alien planet K2-18b, or is it just a lot of hot air?

NPR - An ocean world that's teeming with microbes — and who knows what other kinds of life — is currently the best explanation for some chemical signatures that the James Webb Space Telescope has spotted in the atmosphere of a distant planet. That's according to Nikku Madhusudhan of the University of Cambridge's Institute of...
By Nell Greenfieldboyce | NPR |

What next for California's Salton Sea after $540Bn 'white gold' discovery

NEWSWEEK - A massive lithium discovery beneath California's Salton Sea has set off a high-stakes push for what some have implied could be America's best shot at lithium self-sufficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy confirmed in late 2023 that an estimated 18 million metric tons of lithium—often called "white gold" on account of its silvery-white...
By Joe Edwards | Newsweek |

From worlds that look like cotton candy to others covered in volcanoes, these are the strangest and most captivating exoplanets

SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE - Are we alone in the universe? While no one can say for sure, space scientists know where to start looking—exoplanets. An exoplanet is a planet beyond the cradle of Earth’s eight-membered solar system. Hundreds of billions of these extraterrestrial kingdoms swarm our galaxy, and hundreds of sextillions of others exist beyond that...
By Shi En Kim | Smithsonian Magazine |

22 Miles on Foot, 10 Minutes on a Tram: An ‘Extraordinary’ Day Hike

THE NEW YORK TIMES - The steep trail near the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was covered in inches of spongy fallen needles and peppered with ankle-twisting pine cones. It was also shady, which felt remarkable after the first seven miles of the grueling Cactus to Clouds hike offered little more than a...
By Dina Mishev | The New York Times |

Can parasitic weeds be tricked into dying? Scientists think so.

EARTH.COM - For centuries, farmers have struggled to keep their crops safe. Droughts, pests, and poor soil are common challenges. But among the most silent and destructive enemies are parasitic weeds. These plants do not grow on their own. Instead, they cling to healthy crops and steal vital nutrients. In regions already battling food insecurity...
By Sanjana Gajbhiye | Earth.com |

James Webb Space Telescope could find signs of life on alien 'hycean' ocean worlds

SPACE.COM - Hycean worlds, which are a possible kind of exoplanet with deep oceans surrounded by a thick envelope of hydrogen, could provide the best chance for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to detect biosignatures, according to a new study. Those potential signs of life are a group of chemicals called methyl halides, which...
By Paul Sutter | Space.com |

Strong infrared signals could reveal alien life on "waterworld" planets

NEWS ATLAS - Finding alien life won’t be as dramatic as a flying saucer landing on the White House lawn – it’ll be NASA scientists holding a press conference to excitedly show off a chart that’s incomprehensible to most people. Now, we’re a step closer to that boring but groundbreaking day. Astronomers from the University...
By Michael Irving | News Atlas |

Alien life could be hiding in gases on faraway planets - breakthrough revelation

GB NEWS - Scientists have discovered that alien existence could be hiding in gases on distant planets. New research suggests extraterrestrial beings might exist in gases called methyl halides on faraway worlds. Researchers believe this approach could provide a relatively quick and easy way to examine potential signs of life beyond Earth. On Earth, methyl...

By Georgina Cutler | GB News |
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