Category Archives: Science & Health

The deadly wall of water that devastated the coastal communities of nearly a dozen countries in South Asia on Dec. 26 was the ocean’s natural response to the massive underwater earthquake, UCLA geophysicists say. “As far as I know, it behaved itself as it should have,” said John Vidale, professor of geophysics at UCLA. “The […]

Three UCLA professors are leading the way to the development of a new space observatory that will fly around the country in the belly of a modified Boeing 747 airplane. As an observatory dedicated to investigating infrared light ““ light that is redder, or has longer wavelengths, than light which can be seen with the […]

In the past decade, legislative initiatives and the shifting of social norms have caused a noticeable decrease in the smoking prevalence among all groups, except for one: the college aged. Smoking among individuals ages 18 to 24 has steadily been on the rise, as other age groups show trends of kicking the habit. Public health […]

By Brooke Fox and Emily Chung Over-the-counter access to emergency contraception is a necessary precondition for women being able to make private choices about their reproductive health, yet it may not become a reality. Access to valuable reproductive technology in the United States has recently come under scrutiny, with the socially conservative policy agenda of […]

When fourth-year student John Vaszari tells people what his major is, questions about robots and artificial intelligence frequently follow. At interviews for medical school this fall, Vaszari has given the same well-rehearsed explanation to doctors and admissions boards when they ask the inevitable question about “cybernetics.” An undergraduate interdepartmental program at UCLA since 1972, cybernetics […]

Endangered species battle continues in courts SACRAMENTO “”mdash; A conservative legal group has threatened to sue the federal government over its plans to protect four dozen endangered species in California ranging from peninsular bighorn sheep to the tiny robust spineflower. The Pacific Legal Foundation notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries […]

Since news of the scandal concerning the UCLA willed body program broke last spring, the program has been temporarily suspended as officials, faculty, staff and students await a report that will determine its future. The report was scheduled to be released this fall, but “may not come out until January,” wrote UCLA Health Sciences Spokeswoman […]