Solar energy institute seeks to shine by raising funds
UC Merced is focused on making solar energy more affordable and efficient, and the funds from its sponsors are allowing the institute to thrive.
Solar cells that produce electricity from windows
UCLA researchers have developed a new transparent solar cell that allows windows in buildings to generate electricity while still letting people be able to see outside.
Recession's bite: nearly 4 million Californians struggled to put food on table during downturn
An estimated 3.8 million California adults, particularly those with children and low-income Latinos, could not afford to put adequate food on the table during the recent recession, according to a UCLA report.
Restoring vision
Two UC Irvine ophthalmologists are the first in Orange County to implant a miniature telescope in the eyes of patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness among older Americans.
UC Irvine, Intel partner on $12.5 million research center
The new center applies social science and the humanities to the design and analysis of digital information.
Researchers create mosquitoes incapable of transmitting malaria
Mosquitoes bred to be unable to infect people with the malaria parasite are an attractive approach to helping curb one of the world's most pressing public health issues, according to UC Irvine scientists.
A vision to help
UC San Diego engineering students are working to develop a cheaper, lighter, multi-function microscope that could be used in clinics in developing countries.
A virus that helps charge your cellphone
Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory say they have created a virus that generates electricity. It's a first step toward using genetically engineered viruses to build devices that convert the body's motion into electricity.
Synthetic platelets built to treat bleeding
UC Santa Barbara scientists have created synthetic platelets, the blood components that prevent excessive bleeding and heal wounds.
New TB test promises to be cheap and fast
Biomedical engineers at UC Davis have developed a microfluidic chip to test for latent tuberculosis.
Meet the man who invented the instructions for the Internet
Steve Crocker was among a small group of UCLA researchers who sent the first message between the first two nodes of the ARPAnet, the U.S. Department of Defense-funded network that eventually morphed into the modern internet.
Software will ID long-dead people in paintings
Art historians at the UC Riverside hope to identify people portrayed in 15th-century paintings using the same software used to spot terrorists in a crowd.
Game on! Researchers use online crowd-sourcing to diagnose malaria
UCLA researchers have created a crowd-sourced online gaming system in which players distinguish malaria-infected red blood cells from healthy ones by viewing digital images obtained from microscopes.
California chosen as home for computing institute
The Simons Foundation, which specializes in science and math research, has chosen UC Berkeley as host for an ambitious new center for computer science.
Crowd-sourcing expands power of brain research
UCLA scientists are part of the largest collaborative study of the brain to date. Using imaging technology at more than 100 centers worldwide, they have for the first time zeroed in on genes play a role in intelligence and memory.
'Time Machine' to study distant galaxies
A team of UCLA researchers are building an advanced scientific instrument unlike any other ever built before, with the aim to study some of the oldest galaxies in the universe.
UCSF artificial kidney project tapped for accelerated FDA program
An effort to create an implantable artificial kidney for dialysis patients has been selected as one of the first projects to undergo more timely and collaborative review at the FDA.
Energy from lasers: Sure shot or dead end?
The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory opened its doors to their control room for CBS 'Sunday Morning' to witness a laser shot for tests that may change how the U.S. may someday get its energy.
Engineering researchers use electricity to generate alternative fuel
A UCLA team has demonstrated for the first time a method for converting carbon dioxide into liquid fuel isobutanol using electricity.
Tobacco plants turn into living vaccine factories
A UC Davis graduate student has formed a startup to turn tobacco plants into cheap biological factories for churning out bioengineered proteins for human or animal vaccines.
Using social multimedia for enhanced mapping
A UC Merced researcher has received a prestigious National Science Foundation award to fund work on gathering geographic insight from photos and videos submitted by users.
New nanoglue is thin and supersticky
Engineers at UC Davis have invented a superthin 'nanoglue' that could be used in new generation microchip fabrication.
Engineers create cell phone-based sensor for detection of E. coli
UCLA researchers have developed a sensing platform that can detect the presence of the bacterium that causes a large number of hospitalizations and deaths every year.
UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley Lab part of White House poverty push
Part of the program calls for UC Berkeley to use a 'pre-negotiated' license term sheet for technology and ideas that can be used by nonprofits in helping poor countries.
Stock values rise when companies disclose 'green' information, study finds
It pays to be green, as companies that are open about their greenhouse gas emissions and carbon reduction strategies see stock values rise, according to a UC Davis study.
Stem cell study may show advance
A treatment for eye diseases that is derived from human embryonic stem cells might have improved the vision of two patients, bolstering the beleaguered field, UCLA researchers reported.
Keeping electronics cool
A UC Riverside engineering professor and a team of researchers have made a breakthrough discovery with graphene, a material that could play a major role in keeping laptops and other electronic devices from overheating.
Can robots take over rehab?
At a UC Irvine research center, machines that help people regain use of damage limbs are no longer the stuff of science fiction.
Robotic surgery with one small incision, U.S. first
A UC San Diego surgeon is the first in the U.S. to remove a diseased gallbladder through a patient's belly button with the aid of a new FDA-approved da Vinci Si Surgical System.
Turning bacteria into 'blinking light bulbs'
UC San Diego scientists, exploring how to program cells to perform machine-like tasks such as monitoring the environment, found a way to make lowly bacteria glow, blink in unison and spell out the school's initials.
Berkeley reveals plan for academic center in China
UC Berkeley plans to open a large engineering research and teaching facility in Shanghai as part of a broader plan to bolster its presence in China.
Mulling the second life of an E.V. battery
Researchers at UC San Diego, Davis and Berkeley are partners in an experiment to get the most out of electric vehicle batteries.
Tool clears the air on cloud simulations
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists and international collaborators have developed a new tool that will help scientists better represent the clouds observed in the sky in climate models.
Cellphone becomes medical image device
UC Davis researchers have turned an iPhone into a high-quality medical imaging device that could transform medicine in developing countries.
Scientists see movies in the mind
UC Berkeley researchers were able to reconstruct YouTube videos from viewers' brain activity. It is a feat that might one day offer a glimpse into our dreams, memories and even fantasies.
Scientists man bioterror front lines post-9/11 with sensors to warn of deadly germs
Tom Slezak, of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and other government researchers created an airborne pathogen early warning system that is now deployed in about 30 cities across the country.
A remnant from algae in malaria parasite may prove its weakness
UCSF scientists may have found a critical weakness in the parasite that causes malaria. The discovery provides a promising target for new therapies.
Scientist creates a drivable version of classic video game
A UC Irvine researcher has created a gaming therapy system, which combines an electric golf cart and an arcade-style video game, for people such as quadriplegics.
Students to try to fly balloon across the U.S.
UC San Diego is trying to become the first university to send a zero-pressure balloon across the country, propelled only by the jet stream. It is part of a program to get students to do hands-on projects so that they can see that engineering is more than equations.
QB3 spotlights UC science, American Idol-style
Students and post-doctoral fellows from the three UC campuses covered by QB3 will vote online, just like American Idol, for the biotech project they believe does the most public good.
E.coli seen spawning biofuel in five years
The bacteria behind food poisoning, the mighty E.coli, could be turned into a commercially available biofuel in five years, said Jay Keasling of UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Data scoured for extraterrestrial signals
If ET calls, UC Berkeley astronomers will be among those listening.
Embryonic blood vessels can do more
Stem cell researchers at UCLA have discovered that the thin layer of cells lining the interior of blood vessels can serve as a source for heart muscle cells, which one day may lead to a new way of treating heart attacks and repairing damaged cells.
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.
Transportation energy challenge solved?
UC Davis joined five other research institutions in releasing a national standard for low carbon fuel. There are high hopes that this standard will ensure fuels in the future are cleaner and cheaper and 'made in America.'
Social networking evaluated to improve diabetes management
Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine are evaluating a new social media tool to treat patients with type I and II diabetes.
Revolutionary project will obtain entire genome sequences in fight against Alzheimer's
UCLA's Laboratory of Neuro Imaging will organize, archive and disseminate the genomic data, providing scientists with further tools to investigate the devastating disease.
IBM computer sets speed record
Clocking in at 16.32 sustained petaflops, a supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been named the world's fastest computing system.
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.
Scientists reprogram skin cells into brain cells
Research by scientists at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes offers new hope in the fight against many neurological conditions because a transformation of skins cells offer models for testing drugs for devastating neurodegenerative conditions.
Armored caterpillar could inspire new body armor
Military body armor and vehicle and aircraft frames could be transformed by incorporating the unique structure of the club-like arm of a crustacean that looks like an armored caterpillar, according to researchers at UC Riverside.
Nuisance seaweed found to produce compounds with biomedical potential
A seaweed considered a threat to the healthy growth of coral reefs in Hawaii may possess the ability to produce substances that could one day treat human diseases, a new study led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has revealed.
Researchers develop new genetic method to pinpoint individuals' geographic origin
A UCLA and Tel Aviv University team designed an approach that allows researchers to infer the geographic origins of individuals, and even their parents, using only their genetic data.
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.
Robots measure flow of Sacramento River
A fleet of 100 robots, developed by UC Berkeley researchers, floated down the Sacramento River to demonstrate their ability to measure the pace of the river's flow and to navigate the delta's water.
Nano-subs built to grab and move oil spills to collection site
UC San Diego scientists have built a self-propelled 'microsubmarine' that can scoop up oil from contaminated waters and take the droplets to a collection facility.
Researchers combat global disease with a cell phone, Google Maps and a lot of ingenuity
UCLA scientists developed a cell phone-based platform that lets health workers accurately read diagnostic tests in the field and chart the spread of diseases worldwide.
UC Riverside recognized for environmental efforts
The new School of Medicine Research Building at UC Riverside has received LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Get rid of dryer, save $6,500
A team of former UC Riverside students has designed a system that consists of a solar-powered attic fan diverting solar thermal heat from a rooftop solar heat collector, and hot air from the attic, to a retrofitted closet that serves as a clothes dryer.
UC Berkeley tackles big data
A UC Berkeley team working to advance data science is awarded $10 million by the National Science Foundation.
What 23 years of e-mail may say about you
Larry Smarr, a computer science professor at UC San Diego, who also directs the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, wears one wireless sensor to monitor the calories he burns and another to see how well he sleeps.
International drilling expedition to probe Japanese fault zone
UC Santa Cruz scientists are involved in an ambitious project to measure properties of the fault that caused the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
Researchers develop graphene supercapacitor holding promise for portable electronics
UCLA researchers demonstrate high-performance grapheme-based electrochemical capacitors that maintain excellent electrochemical attributes under high mechanical stress.
Students use engineering know-how to help people at home and a world away
A small village in the Philippines will soon be safer from typhoons and earthquakes, thanks to the work of a group of UC San Diego undergraduates who are designing a model home that uses new and sustainable technologies.
Fused genes tackle deadly disease in grapevines
A gene fusion research project led by a UC Davis plant scientist targets Pierce's disease, a deadly threat to California's wine industry.
Pounding pavement in search of a smoother drive
The UC Pavement Research Center in Davis works on creating longer lasting, quieter and more fuel efficient pavement.
UC Berkeley intellectual property has started 146 companies in 20 years
Some prolific UC professors have started plenty of companies, including one Berkeley chemist who has helped start 15 businesses, with five of them directly based on his laboratory's breakthroughs.
Little chip, big implications
A startup founded by a former UC Irvine doctoral student offers a technology breakthrough with vast market potential.
'Open-source' robotic surgery platform going to top medical research labs
Robotics experts at UC Santa Cruz and the University of Washington have completed a set of seven advanced robotic surgery systems for use by major medical research laboratories throughout the U.S.
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.
Whale-sized computer debuts at UCSD
A $20 million machine called Gordon was built at the San Diego Supercomputer Center to enable scholars from across the nation to rapidly store and analyze some of the largest databases ever created.
Universities' solar future illuminated
A group of UC researchers met recently at UC Merced to talk about some of the latest solar research and its potential impact.
UC Davis to start up entrepreneur institute
The campus announced that it is launching a new institute devoted to education, research and outreach in innovation and entrepreneurship.
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.
Solar suitcase saves lives in poor nations
An obstetrician and UC Berkeley doctoral student developed a solar suitcase for health practitioners in rural areas where there is no electricity.
UC Merced gets grant to track Sierra snowpack
Researchers were awarded a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a revolutionary network for tracking the Sierra snowpack as the climate warms.
Can smartphones get attuned to your moods?
A UC San Diego engineering professor is researching how to use sensors to select songs that match your state of mind.
Reaching for the stars
In an Los Angeles Times opinion piece, James Bullock, UC Irvine professor of physics and astronomy, notes that the Hubble Space Telescope has helped place the U.S. as a science leader, and if we don't replace it, we'll fall behind other nations in research.
Technology Review honors inventors
Pieter Abbeel of UC Berkeley, who creates robots, and Gert Lanckriet of UC San Diego, who instructs computers to classify music, were named among top young innovators whose work promises to change the world.
Students design solar dryer
UC Riverside engineering students dug through trash for aluminum cans and collected scrap wood to create a solar heat collector that will be used to harness attic heat and power an eco-friendly clothes dryer.
SynapSense raises $16M for data center energy monitoring
A startup, cofounded by a UC Davis researcher, develops sensors that help data centers monitor and cut down energy usage. It raised another round of funds from VCs to expand
Future of electric cars hinges on better batteries
The Bay Area, home to Tesla Motors, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and two dozen battery startups, has emerged as one of the leading hubs of battery innovation in the nation.
Stem cell gamble
After years of controversy, a therapy based on human embryonic stem cells is finally being tested in humans, and Hans Keirstead of UC Irvine follows the clinical trial closely.
Electric vehicles are doing even more
UC Riverside scientists say they can extend the rate of vehicles by 10 percent by taking into account real time traffic conditions. They are developing an eco-routing procedure that finds a way to expend the least amount of energy for a trip.
Astronaut to lead new research center at UC Davis
After retiring from NASA last month, Stephen Robinson will head a new center for research on human-vehicle interaction at UC Davis.
Patients trust doctors but consult the Internet
Patients look up their illnesses online to become better informed and prepared to play an active role in their care, not because they mistrust their doctors, a UC Davis study suggests.
Engineering aid for UC Natural Reserves
Enterprising UC Berkeley engineering students have developed two compact, remote-controlled aircraft to keep tabs on UC Natural Reserves.
Berkeley, Livermore Labs honored for innovation
Researchers at Lawrence Berkley and Lawrence Livermore National Labs were multiple winners of R&D 100 Awards, which are known as the 'Oscars of Invention.'
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.
Why dissonant music can strike an emotional chord
The Screaming Marmots aren't a rock band, but shrieks of the large rodents are telling UCLA scientists something about the animal nature of some music.
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.
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.
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.
California considers DNA privacy law
UC scientists are voicing concerns about a bill, dubbed the Genetic Information Privacy Act, which if passed, could have a costly and damaging effect on research.
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.
UC Merced innovations all seen as a big win
Solar-powered farm equipment, almond byproducts as biofuels and new valves to improve blood flow for newborns were just some of the projects unveiled by UC Merced engineering and management students at the Innovate to Grow competition.
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.
Researcher's waste-to-energy technology moves from the lab to the marketplace
Technology invented by a UC Davis researcher that converts solid waste into renewable energy debuted as the first commercially available, high-solid anaerobic digestion system in the U.S.
Fusion energy progress by Livermore scientists
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists report that after years of experiments, they have moved closer to reproducing the blazing energy of the sun's interior in the laboratory.
'Robosquirrel' deployed to research relationship with rattlesnakes
A lifelike robot, built by a team from UC Davis, can replicate two behaviors squirrels display when confronted by a rattlesnake. It joins a growing list of robot creatures created by the campus.
Kepler Explorer app puts distant planets at your fingertips
An innovative app for iPads and iPhones, developed by a UC Santa Cruz team, provides interactive displays of newly discovered planetary systems based on Kepler data.
Mind the gap year
The Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley helps impoverished people around the world by bringing together academics and entrepreneurs to develop technological innovations.
Data from spacecraft reveals new insights on planet Mercury
Thanks to the MESSENGER spacecraft, UC Santa Barbara research and a mission that took more than 10 years to complete, scientists now have a good picture of the solar system's innermost planet.
Portal facilitates tech licensing
Companies looking to license technology created by the University of California now can search on a new online portal, which UC's Innovation Alliances and Services office helped develop.
Berkeley gears up for new era of enterprise with Skydeck incubator
A startup incubator, which houses a mix of ventures founded by UC Berkeley faculty, students and alumni, heralds a dynamic effort to foster a new generation of young entrepreneurs and forge a hotbed of collaborative innovation and enterprise.
Graphene-based composites could cool electronics
UC Riverside researchers have developed a material that could efficiently remove unwanted heat from electronic components such as computer chips or light emitting diodes.
Breakthrough in designing cheaper, more efficient catalysts for fuel cells
UC Berkeley chemists are reimagining catalysts in ways that could have a profound impact on the chemical industry as well as on the growing market for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Scientists eavesdrop inside the mind
In a small study that might sound like science fiction, UC Berkeley researchers could predict what people were hearing based on their brain activity.
Faint 'satellite galaxy' discovered
A satellite galaxy 10 billion light years from Earth is the lowest mass object ever detected at such a distance, say a UC Davis scientist, who aided in the satellite's discovery.
Hubble pinpoints farthest protocluster of galaxies ever seen
An UC Santa Barbara astrophysicist contributed to the discovery of a cluster of galaxies in the initial stages of construction. It is the most distant such grouping ever observed in the early universe.
San Diego's algal biofuels research enterprise continues rapid growth
San Diego's research efforts to produce new transportation fuels from algae generated more than double the number of jobs for local workers in 2011 than were available in the region just two years ago.
Computers implanted in brain could help paralyzed
It sounds like science fiction, but scientists, including at UC Berkeley and UCSF, are getting tantalizingly close to building the mind-controlled prosthetic arms, computer cursors and mechanical wheelchairs of the future
Scientists invent lightest material on Earth. What now?
Researchers, including scientists at UC Irvine, have invented a new material that is so lightweight it can sit atop a fluffy dandelion without crushing the little fuzzy seeds.
Hummingbirds shake their heads to deal with rain
UC Berkeley researchers studied slow motion footage of the extraordinary head movements of hummingbirds. Their findings could help engineers develop micro air vehicles that could cope with unsettled weather or even washing machines with an improved drying spin.
UC Merced developing avatar care for aging baby boomers
Graduate students are creating a software program that uses avatars to provide physical therapy to the elderly.
Useless grass could become the next biofuel
A UC Berkeley biologist has transferred a gene from a variety of corn into a widespread, fast-growing species of the grass, and transformed it into what could become an important source of biofuel.
Scientists map out the universe
UC Santa Cruz have harnessed the power of a NASA supercomputer to create a detailed vision of galaxies like our Milky Way forming under the mysterious forces of dark matter and dark energy.
Scientists testing earthquake early warning
UC researchers are among those hoping to build a public warning system similar to the Japanese that has been credited with saving lives last March.
Portable microscope detects bacteria using holograms
A handheld device, developed by UCLA researchers, uses a laser instead of lenses to identify bugs in water, food or blood. Scientists hope the technology will improve health care in areas that lack sophisticated diagnostic equipment.
Early tsunami warning system could be possible
A high-frequency radar system was able to identify the devastating March 11 tsunami in Japan. It raises high hopes of developing an early warning system, said a UC Davis oceanographer.
Agilent joins UC Davis in center to research millimeter waves
A technology company and UC Davis will study high-frequency waves, which are used for whole-body security scanning devices at airports, medical imaging and defense applications.
In search of a robot more like us
UC Berkeley laundry-folding robot is cited prominently in this piece about development of highly intelligent robots.
Creating reservoirs under roads and parking lots
John Harvey, UC Davis professor and director of the UC Pavement Research Center, discusses an eco-friendly paving option.
Cosmic distance record broken
A UC Berkeley observation of an explosion of a huge star near the edge of the observable universe may be the most distant single object yet spied by a telescope.