asteroid covered in shadows with sun in the background

Avoiding Armageddon: Researchers narrow down list of potentially hazardous asteroids

May 31, 2023

The asteroid 7482 (1994 PC1) measures about two-thirds of a mile across. It will also remain in Earth's vicinity for much of the next 1,000 years. Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê aerospace engineer Oscar Fuentes-Muñoz says its important to study objects like this one to make sure they don't pose a risk to life on our planet.

Man moves a piece on a wooden board, while several other people watch sitting at school desks

Collective property rights spark spirit of cooperation that extends beyond managing land

May 25, 2023

Since the 1990s, Indigenous groups and other communities around the world have increasingly fought for, and secured, collective property rights to the land they live on. New research suggests that these arrangements can have impacts not just on ecosystems like forests but on the psychology of people.

Jennifer Doudna stands on stage at a podium

Forum on gene editing draws hundreds, some with tough questions

May 25, 2023

A revolutionary technique for editing genomes, called CRISPR-Cas9, has already helped cure sickle cell disease in dozens of people. But it also raises ethical concerns, which a panel of preeminent scientists grappled with at an event on the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê campus.

Several microrobots, with three fins, seen under the microscope

These tiny, medical robots could one day travel through your body

May 24, 2023

Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê engineers have designed a new class of "microrobots" several times smaller than the width of a human hair that may be able to treat human illnesses like interstitial cystitis—a painful bladder disease that affects millions of Americans.

Artist's depiction of a planet covered in volcanoes

Newly discovered planet is the size of Earth, but may be covered in volcanoes

May 17, 2023

A team of astrophysicists, including two researchers from Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê, have caught a glimpse of a new and rocky planet called LP 791-18d. There, temperatures on the dayside could climb to more than 250 degrees Fahrenheit, while volcanoes blast the planet's surface.

Saturn's rings partially in shadow

How old are Saturn’s rings? Far younger than once thought, according to new study

May 12, 2023

New research led by Sascha Kempf of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê finds that Saturn's rings are no more than 400 million years old. That's much younger than Saturn itself, which formed around 4.5 billion years ago.

Solar flare erupt from the sun

How 1,000 undergraduates helped solve an enduring mystery about the sun

May 9, 2023

For three years at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê students enrolled in "Experimental Physics I" spent an estimated 56,000 hours analyzing the behavior of hundreds of solar flares. Their results could help astrophysicists understand how the sun's corona reaches temperatures of millions of degrees Fahrenheit.

Person wears a shirt made out of kombucha leather with glowing LED lights

Kombucha chic: How one student uses microbes, and time, to grow her own clothes

May 4, 2023

Biodesign researcher Fiona Bell says that anyone, anywhere can grow their own clothing right from their kitchens. You start by brewing a batch of kombucha.

A biodegradable "artificial muscle" made with material stamped with an image of a carrot

Grad student helps design ‘artificial muscles’ you can toss in the compost bin

April 20, 2023

Mechanical engineering student Ellen Rumley was part of a robotics club in high school, but she could never get over the clunkiness of rigid, metal machines. Now, she's designing soft robotic actuators that work like animal muscles. They're also completely biodegradable.

A teacher at a lectern speaks to students sitting at desks

5 lessons on improving US education—from high schools that beat the odds

April 12, 2023

Edited by a trio of Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê researchers, a new book titled Schools of Opportunity: 10 Research-Based Models of Equity in Action tells the stories of nine U.S. high schools that flourished despite the odds—overcoming tough challenges to offer students from a wide range of backgrounds rich and even joyful educational experiences.

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