University of California | Research

An easy way to solve loneliness

As people age, they are more prone to loneliness, which can take a huge physical toll. A UCLA study shows that meditation can reduce loneliness and strengthen the body's immune system

Too much fructose sets up metabolic trouble

A UC Davis study explains how fructose is a major factor in metabolic syndrome, which can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

A treatment for kidney disease in the making

UC Santa Barbara scientists have found a drug that may be effective in treating common kidney disease. The new drug is still being tested, but it shows promise in the laboratory.

A new way to understand PTSD

Recent improvements in imaging technologies offer a detailed look of the brain. A UCSF psychiatrist hopes these tools will help scientists better understand the cause of conditions such as post traumatic stress and sleep disorders.

Teen brains show early signs of cigarette addiction

A UCSF study, has found that teenagers have a lower level for nicotine addiction than is commonly believed. It shows that people who begin smoking in their early teens are more likely to become lifelong smokers.

Pink and painful

Researchers at UC San Diego have new insight on the science behind the sunburn. Their study pinpoints the factors that trigger sunburn, which is a protective mechanism preventing damaged cells from turning into skin cancer.

Fellows advance commercially promising research

Research innovations by early-career faculty at UC Berkeley are getting a boost toward commercial development from the campus'Baker Fellows Program, which helps push discoveries that will improve the California economy.

Social bats pay a price with new fungal disease

The impact on bat populations of a deadly fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome may depend on how gregarious the bats are during hibernation, finds a UC Santa Cruz study.

Brown widow spiders taking over black widows in California

The brown widow spider, a less-poisonous species than its cousin, the black widow spider, is making its claim in the dark recesses of Southern California trash can lids, plant pot lips and wood piles, finds a UC Riverside study.

Cancer's next magic bullet may be magic shotgun

A new approach to drug design, pioneered by a group of researchers at UCSF and Mt. Sinai, New York, promises to help identify future drugs to fight cancer and other diseases that will be more effective and have fewer side effects.

Type of stem cell may contribute to heart disease

UC Berkeley scientists have discovered a type of stem cell that appears to lie dormant in blood vessel walls for decades before waking up and causing the arterial hardening and clogging that are associated with deadly strokes and heart attacks.

Light-induced delivery of nitric oxide eradicates drug-resistant bacteria

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed a novel approach for eradicating drug-resistant bacteria from wounds and skin infections, using light to trigger the controlled release of nitric oxide.

Research lends insight into controlling cells, addressing diseases

A UC Merced biophysicist has found that a cell's nanomotor can be activated by a cellular cue often lacking in people suffering from neurodegeneration.

Elephant seal tracking reveals hidden lives of deep-diving animals

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz, who pioneered the use of satellite tags to monitor the migrations of elephant seals, have compiled one of the largest datasets available for any marine mammal species, revealing their movements and diving behavior at sea in unprecedented detail.

Team taps viruses to make electricity

Scientists at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity.

Experiments do not adequately predict plant responses to global climate change, researchers say

Plants may be reacting to climate change more than we think, and the uncertainty could leave us ill-prepared for the future effects of global warming, say UC Santa Barbara scientists.

Cancer genome data center raises hope for cures

UC Santa Cruz researchers unveiled a major weapon in the war against cancer: the nation's first catalog of cancer genomes, which hold the clues to the disease's deadly secrets.

Social butterflies find safety in numbers

A UC Irvine study finds when butterflies roost together, they are better at fending off predators.

Life Sciences

Scientists scavenge for hyena money

Scientists and UC Berkeley administrators are scrambling for money to keep a colony of 19 spotted hyenas which they have studied in the Berkeley hills for the last 27 years, or they could end up in zoos.

Life Sciences

How the brain routes traffic for maximum alertness

A new UC Davis study shows how the brain reconfigures its connections to minimize distractions and take best advantage of our knowledge of situations.

Researchers study Pacific fishers, want your socks

UC Berkeley scientists are looking for donations of used socks to help them study a rare mammal.

The zombies with six legs

The human undead have nothing on the creepiness of some insects, which routinely do things too grotesque even for horror movies, writes UC Riverside biologist Marlene Zuk.

Homosexual zebra finches form long bond

Same-sex pairs of monogamous birds are just as attached and faithful to each other as those paired with a member of the opposite sex, according to a UC Berkeley study.

Life Sciences

Taking stock of the California Current

Scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography have been methodically measuring the southern waters of the current for 62 years, and their data series is touted as the most extensive of its kind in the world.

Giant leap for treating spinal cord injuries

A man paralyzed from the waist down has regained several abilities as a result of an experimental treatment developed at UCLA and the University of Louisville.

Breast feeding has its advantages

A UC Riverside scientist sheds light on the cellular and biological mechanisms behind the stronger immune systems of breastfed children.

Researchers determine costs of gene expression

Bioengineers at UC San Diego made a major advance in developing a method of modeling an organism's metabolism and gene expression. This research opens up a slew of questions and ideas about the cellular impacts of gene expression and data.

Pet therapy without the pet

Oncologists at UC Irvine are studying whether robotic stuffed animals can help reduce stress and anxiety in chemotherapy patients. The cuddly robots obey commands, and they're hypoallergenic, too.

Chemical allows mice to regain vision

UC Berkeley scientists have discovered a chemical that temporarily allows blind mice to see. They hope that this chemical compound will help people with the most common forms of acquired blindness.

A new way to break down bacteria 'castles'

Using a stop-action imaging microscope, UC Berkeley researchers described in detail for first time the 'castles' of bacteria that are often the causes of fatal infections

Leading scientists issuing research road map to get AIDS cure

At the start of the International AIDS Conference, a UCSF scientist and others discuss a number of different leads that just might solve and treat the epidemic.

Discovery opens door to attacking biofilms that cause chronic infections

A clever new imaging technique discovered at UC Berkeley reveals a possible plan of attack for many bacterial diseases that form biofilms that make them resistant to antibiotics.

Researchers find increase in Lyme disease mirrors drop in red fox numbers

A continued increase of Lyme disease in the U.S., once linked to a recovering deer population, may instead be explained by a decline of the red fox, UC Santa Cruz researchers suggest.

Resolving the riddle of why the zebra has stripes

A UCLA researcher received a grant from the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration to investigate the genetic basis and adaptive significance of stripe pattern variation in zebra.

Scientists synthesize first genetically evolved semiconductor material

In the not-too-distant future, scientists may be able to use DNA to grow their own specialized materials, thanks to research by UC Santa Barbara scientists.

Optical tweezers help researchers uncover key mechanics in cellular communication

By using a laser microbeam technology, UC Irvine and UCLA researchers have uncovered fundamental properties of a key molecular signaling system involved with development, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Building molecular 'cages' to fight disease

UCLA biochemists have designed specialized proteins that assemble themselves to form tiny molecular cages hundreds of times smaller than a single cell.

New TB test promises to be cheap and fast

Biomedical engineers at UC Davis have developed a microfluidic chip to test for latent tuberculosis.

Colorful butterflies increase their odds of survival by sharing traits

An international genetics consortium at UC Irvine finds butterflies also use taste and smell genes to increase their chances of living longer.

New malaria vaccine made from algae

Researchers at UC San Diego have genetically engineered algae to prepare a vaccine which can prevent the transmission of the parasite that causes malaria.

Scientists drill into Clear Lake to see future

Drilling deeply into ancient sediments, UC Berkeley scientists are seeking vital clues to the future of plant and animal life by investigating how changing climates have altered life in the distant past.

Sex-deprived male fruit flies drink more

In experiments seeking to understand the root causes of human addiction, UCSF scientists have discovered that male fruit flies turn to alcohol when female flies reject their sexual advances.

Oldest organism with skeleton discovered in Australia

A finding by UC Riverside paleontologists provides insight into the evolution of life, and it also can help scientists recognize life elsewhere in the universe.

Life Sciences

Leaping lizards and dinosaurs inspire robot design

UC Berkeley scientists and students looked at how lizards use their tails when leaping. What they found can help design robots that are more stable on uneven terrain and after unexpected falls, which is critical to successful search and rescue operations.

Scientist at work

A UC Riverside biologist writes from the tropical dry forest near Alamos, Mexico, where she is studying Callipepla quail.

Cockrell's bumblebee seen for the first time since 1956

Scientists from UC Riverside recently rediscovered the rarest species of bumblebee in the U.S., last seen 55 years ago living in the White Mountains of south-central New Mexico.

Scripps videos bizarre marine life in deep ocean

Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego dropped untethered cameras into the western Pacific to videotape large numbers of bizarre amoeba appearing to thrive 6.6 miles beneath the surface in the Mariana Trench, the deepest waters on Earth.

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