Researchers from UCLA and USC are researching the link between gut microbes and autism to better understand autism and its potential causes. Emeran Mayer, a professor of medicine, physiology, psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA, and Lisa Aziz-Zadeh, an associate professor of psychology at University of Southern California, received a three-year $808,000 grant from the […]
Author Archives: Bernard Mendez
Ashe center offers free measles vaccines to prevent further outbreak
Students were vaccinated against measles at a vaccination fair Tuesday. The event, which was held by the UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center, offered free measles vaccinations to students who previously were not vaccinated. Students without the University of California Student Health Insurance Plan were also able to to get the vaccinations at […]
UCLA researchers develop wearable device that generates electricity from snow
UCLA researchers created a device that can generate electricity from snow. The device, called the snow-TENG, is a thin, transparent sheet of mostly silicone, which can be inexpensively manufactured using a 3D printer. Richard Kaner, a professor of chemistry and materials science, and Maher El-Kady, a postdoctoral researcher of chemistry and biochemistry, are part of […]
UCLA instructor leads study finding carcinogenic metals in popular African alcohol
A group of researchers led by a UCLA instructor has identified several toxic metals in sachet alcohol, a popular form of alcohol in Uganda. Many of these metals, including lead, arsenic and chromium, are known to cause cancer. Led by Ochan Otim, a chemistry instructor for UCLA Extension, the group tested 13 brands of Ugandan […]
New methods could make plants more resilient to climate changes, disease
UCLA researchers developed new methods to manipulate gene expression in plants, which could help make them resistant to climate change and plant-harming bacteria. In a study published February, researchers in molecular, cell and developmental biology professor Steve Jacobsen’s lab designed proteins that can silence specific genes. The researchers study DNA methylation, a process that can […]
Virtual reality testing on rats to reveal insights into human brain
UCLA researchers are developing virtual reality for rats to better understand human spatial perception. Researchers in the lab of Mayank Mehta, a professor of neurology and neurobiology, placed rats in small cylindrical containers and used a projector to simulate a cubical room with distinct visual patterns on each wall. Rats moved on a spherical treadmill […]
Rocket club refines safety protocol in response to accidents at other universities
UCLA faculty will now exercise greater control over a student-run rocket club due to safety concerns. New members of Rocket Project at UCLA will be required to go through a more formalized curriculum that will provide more structured instruction on rocketry and safety. Additionally, student leaders, who were previously chosen by the student members of […]