Tag Archives: california

How do you know if the wildfires are making you sick?

UCLA pulmonologist Reza Ronaghi explains how the blazes affect air quality and what precautions people can take

The wildfires raging throughout California and Oregon have caused great concern about air quality and the safety of being outdoors. And dealing with the public health implications of the fires is further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.  (more…)

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Landmark sequencing of octopus genome shows basis for intelligence, camouflage

The first whole genome analysis of an octopus reveals unique features that likely played a role in the evolution of traits such as large complex nervous systems and adaptive camouflage. An international team of scientists sequenced the genome of the California two-spot octopus—the first cephalopod ever to be fully sequenced—and mapped gene expression profiles in 12 different tissues. The findings are published online Aug. 12 in Nature. (more…)

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Evidence Suggests California’s Drought is the Worst in 1,200 Years

As California finally experiences the arrival of a rain-bearing Pineapple Express this week, two climate scientists from the University of Minnesota and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have shown that the drought of 2012-2014 has been the worst in 1,200 years. (more…)

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Changes in Coastal Upwelling Linked to Variability in Marine Ecosystem Off California

AUSTIN, Texas — In findings of relevance to conservationists and the fishing industry, new research links short-term reductions in growth and reproduction of marine animals off the California coast to increasing variability in the strength of coastal upwelling currents — currents that supply nutrients to the region’s diverse ecosystem. (more…)

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Gun violence and mental illness: Study addresses perception vs. reality

Scholars say that, overall, gun violence can be reduced by instituting a risk-based approach to firearms possession and purchases

Recent mass killings in Isla Vista, California, and elsewhere have again raised concern among lawmakers and the media about the possible connection between mental illness and gun violence. A new study sets the record straight and recommends an evidence-based approach to limiting firearms fatalities. (more…)

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Bringing a Spacecraft Back from the Dead

A UA engineering student is part of a team trying to awaken an abandoned NASA space probe and put it back to work in outer space.

More than 25 years ago, an abandoned NASA spacecraft fulfilled its mission, fell silent and has since been hurtling around the sun, somewhere between the orbits of Earth and Mars. Now, a University of Arizona engineering student is trying to wake it up. (more…)

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“Simming” a mile in others’ shoes

Scott Magelssen has had more lives than an accident-prone cat. He’s been a waiter in a logging camp. An anthrax victim. A Mexican migrant trying to cross into the U.S. A slave seeking freedom on the Underground Railroad. An observer during an attack on an Iraqi village.

It’s all in a day’s work for Magelssen, a UW associate professor of drama, who has participated in a variety of interactive simulations for his upcoming book, Simming to be published in June by University of Michigan Press. The book explores the impact of simulations and the potential of such immersive environments to promote social change. (more…)

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NASA Responds to California’s Evolving Drought

NASA is partnering with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to develop and apply new technology and products to better manage and monitor the state’s water resources and respond to its ongoing drought.

NASA scientists, DWR water managers, university researchers and other state resource management agencies will collaborate to apply advanced remote sensing and improved forecast modeling to better assess water resources, monitor drought conditions and water supplies, plan for drought response and mitigation, and measure drought impacts. (more…)

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