University of California, Los Angeles
Clinical trial uncovers potential cure for HIV
October 6, 2011 10:33 am | News | CommentsData from a clinical trial involving University of California, Los Angeles researchers suggest that a new therapy may potentially serve as a "functional cure" for HIV/AIDS. The therapy, called SB-728-T, involves the modification of both copies of a patient's CCR5 gene, which encodes the major co-receptor used by HIV to infect immune system cells.
Can scientists look at next year's climate?
September 12, 2011 11:15 am | News | CommentsIs it possible to make valid climate predictions that go beyond weeks, months, even a year? University of California, Los Angeles atmospheric scientists report they have now made long-term climate forecasts that are among the best ever—predicting climate up to 16 months in advance, nearly twice the length of time previously achieved by climate scientists.
A systematic way to find battery materials
August 12, 2011 3:47 am | by David L. Chandler, MIT News Office | News | CommentsLithium-ion batteries have become a leading energy source, and researchers are actively seeking ways to nudge their performance toward ever-higher levels. New analysis by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California at Los Angeles has revealed why one widely used compound works particularly well as the material for one of these batteries' two electrodes.
Newts can regrow damaged hearts, so why can't humans?
August 11, 2011 10:44 am | News | CommentsStem cell researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have uncovered for the first time why adult human cardiac myocytes—specialized muscle cells in the heart—have lost their ability to proliferate, perhaps explaining why the human heart has little regenerative capacity.
Cyber-network to be world’s biggest digital R & D resource
July 28, 2011 1:16 pm | News | CommentsSeventeen institutions officially joined forces last week to link computers, data and people from around the world to establish a single, virtual system, called XSEDE, that scientists can interactively use to conduct research. The National Science Foundation-funded effort will build on the high-performance computing ground broken by TeraGrid.
Engineers develop cell phone-based optofluidic platform
July 27, 2011 5:06 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have developed a compact, lightweight, and cost-effective optofluidic platform that integrates imaging cytometry and florescent microscopy and can be attached to a cell phone. The resulting device can be used to rapidly image bodily fluids for cell counts or cell analysis.
Bacteria use Batman-like grappling hooks to 'slingshot'
July 19, 2011 5:11 am | by Wileen Wong Kromhout | News | CommentsBefore forming multicellular biofilms, bacteria are able to move across surfaces and some do so in a jerky motion called “twitching”. Using a high-speed camera and a tracking algorithm, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, noticed that these bacteria also had the unique ability to "slingshot".
Ancient life reveals energy storage tricks
July 6, 2011 7:36 am | by Mike Rodewald | News | CommentsArchaea are among the oldest known life-forms, but remain mysterious even after biologists recognized these single-celled organisms as a distinct domain of life. Researchers using high-resolution electron microscopy, including the R&D 100 Award-winning FEI Titan S/TEM, have discovered minute granules that are extremely efficient at storing energy.
Researchers discover new airway stem cell
June 29, 2011 6:04 am | News | CommentsResearchers at UCLA have identified a new stem cell that participates in the repair of the lungs' large airways, which play a vital role in protecting the body from infectious agents and toxins in the environment.
Scientists accurately predict age using a saliva sample
June 23, 2011 5:33 am | News | CommentsSelf-conscious about your age? Be careful where you spit. UCLA geneticists now can use saliva to reveal how old you are. The findings offer a myriad of potential applications. A newly patented test based on the research, for example, could offer crime-scene investigators a new forensic tool for pinpointing a suspect's age.
Scientists identify how major biological sensor in the body works
June 7, 2011 5:54 am | by Rachel Champeau | News | CommentsUntil now the biophysical functioning of the gating ring sensor has not been clearly understood. However, UCLA researchers have uncovered for the first time the sensor's molecular mechanism, shedding new light on the complexity of cells' control systems.
Study: Species extinction rates have been overestimated
May 20, 2011 5:49 am | News | CommentsThe most widely used methods for calculating species extinction rates are "fundamentally flawed" and overestimate extinction rates by as much as 160%, life scientists report.
Galileo reveals magma 'ocean' beneath Jupiter's moon
May 17, 2011 9:52 am | News | CommentsA new analysis of data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft has revealed that beneath the surface of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io is an "ocean" of molten or partially molten magma.
Mechanism could convert cells into insulin makers
May 2, 2011 8:13 am | News | CommentsPeople develop diabetes because they don't have enough pancreatic beta cells to produce the insulin necessary to regulate their blood sugar level. But what if other cells in the body could be coaxed into becoming pancreatic beta cells? Could we potentially cure diabetes? Researchers from UCLA report that they may have discovered the underlying mechanism that could convert other cell types into pancreatic beta cells.
Microscope without lenses produces high-res 3D images on a chip
April 25, 2011 5:24 am | News | CommentsUCLA researchers have redefined the concept of a microscope by removing the lens to create a system that is small enough to fit in the palm of a hand but powerful enough to create three-dimensional tomographic images of miniscule samples.
Researchers are one step closer to controlled engineering of nanocatalysts
April 20, 2011 5:54 am | News | CommentsA research team from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has proposed and demonstrated a new approach to producing nanocrystals with predictable shapes by utilizing surfactants, biomolecules that can bind selectively to certain facets of the crystals' exposed surfaces.
Search for dark matter moves one step closer to detecting elusive particle
April 15, 2011 7:01 am | News | CommentsDark matter, the mysterious substance that may account for nearly 25% of the universe, has so far evaded direct observation. But researchers from UCLA, Columbia Univ., and other institutions participating in the international XENON collaboration say they are now closer than ever before.
Is space like a chessboard?
March 21, 2011 6:09 am | News | CommentsPhysicists at UCLA set out to design a better transistor and ended up discovering a new way to think about the structure of space.
Engineering E. coli to produce record-setting amounts of alternative fuel
March 17, 2011 5:48 am | News | CommentsResearchers at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a way to produce normal butanol from bacteria at rates significantly higher than those achieved using current production methods.
Organic chemistry breakthrough: New method for studying molecule reactions
March 11, 2011 4:20 am | News | CommentsGood chemists are passive-aggressive—they manipulate molecules without actually touching them. In a feat of manipulating substances at the nanoscale, UCLA researchers and colleagues demonstrated a method for isolating two molecules together on a substrate and controlling how those two molecules react when excited with ultraviolet light.
Engineers demonstrate use of proteins as raw material for biofuels
March 8, 2011 3:05 am | News | CommentsIn a recent study, researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of using proteins as a raw material for biorefining and biofuel production.
Researchers may have stumbled on hair-growth key
February 17, 2011 4:35 am | News | CommentsA team led by researchers from UCLA and the Veterans Administration that was investigating how stress affects gastrointestinal function may have found a chemical compound that induces hair growth by blocking a stress-related hormone associated with hair loss, entirely by accident.
Identified: Thick disc of older stars in nearby Andromeda galaxy
February 16, 2011 5:16 am | News | CommentsAn international team of astronomers has identified for the first time a thick stellar disc in the Andromeda galaxy, the nearest large spiral galaxy to our own Milky Way.
New nanomaterials advance provides good news for next-gen electronic devices
February 14, 2011 5:32 am | News | CommentsResearchers from UCLA and from the materials division of Australia's Univ. of Queensland show the promise of surface-conduction channels in topological insulator nanoribbons made of bismuth telluride and demonstrate that surface states in these nanoribbons are "tunable"—able to be turned on and off depending on the position of the Fermi level.
Can Coffee Protect Against Diabetes?
February 9, 2011 8:23 am | Articles | CommentsCoffee may do more than provide a jump-start to the day. While previous studies have shown that it may protect against type 2 diabetes, researchers at the Univ. of California, Los Angeles have discovered a possible molecular mechanism behind this protective effect.
