News & Events

An artist's conception showing spherical carbon molecules known as buckyballs coming out from a planetary nebula — material shed by a dying star. Researchers at the University of Arizona have now created these molecules under laboratory conditions thought to mimic those in their "natural" habitat in space. (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Mysteries Behind Interstellar Buckyballs Finally Answered

Nov. 12, 2019

Researchers discovered a mechanism that could explain why planetary nebulae are teeming with unseemingly complex carbon molecules.

Read more at UANews
Views from NASA's Methane Source Finder, a tool that provides methane data for the state of California. The data are derived from airborne remote-sensing, surface-monitoring networks and satellites and are presented on an interactive map alongside infrastructure information. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

A Third of California Methane Traced to a Few Super-Emitters

Nov. 5, 2019

UArizona researcher Riley Duren led a team that identified more than 550 individual point sources emitting plumes of highly concentrated methane.

Read more at UANews
From left: UArizona senior Victor Gomes and assistant professor Ren Bozgeyikli developed the Googly Eyes app, which depicts virtual reality users' eye movements through a set of cartoon eyeballs. (Photo: Kyle Mittan/University Communications)

'Googly Eyes' Bridge Gap Between Virtual and Actual Reality

Oct. 29, 2019

The Extended Reality and Games Lab at the University of Arizona is engaged in a number of projects that blur the lines between the physical and virtual worlds.

Read more at UANews
Lead author and graduate student Tristan Klein demonstrates the lens's transparency to infrared light. (Photo: Mikayla Mace)

Using Computational Chemistry to Produce Cheaper Infrared Plastic Lenses

Oct. 28, 2019

A new polymer material could bring consumers affordable access to consumer-grade infrared detectors in products such as autonomous cars and in-home thermal imaging for security or fire protection.

Read more at UANews
The Giant Magellan Telescope is engineered to rest on azimuth bearings. The orange ring at the bottom will be connected to the concrete pier and does not rotate. The blue pads on top of this fixed track support the entire mass of the telescope. (Image: Giant Magellan Telescope/GMTO Corporation)

A Massive Mount for Giant Mirrors

Oct. 28, 2019

The signing of the contract for producing the massive support structure that will hold the seven mirrors manufactured at the University of Arizona marks a major step toward completion of the next-generation ground-based telescope that promises to revolutionize our understanding and view of the universe.

Read more at UANews
Elizabeth Baldwin is principal investigator of an NSF grant to predict effective governance strategies for managing invasive species. (Photo: Anna Augustowska)

Bringing Policy and Law Into Fight Against Buffelgrass

Oct. 27, 2019

Using buffelgrass as the subject of a new study, researchers hope to develop the tools and knowledge to enable proactive management of emerging threats from invasive species.

Read more at UANews
DESI’s fully installed focal plane features 5,000 automated robotic positioners, each carrying a fiber-optic cable to gather galaxies’ light. (Photo: DESI Collaboration)

Cosmic 3D Mapping Machine Opens 5,000 Robotic Eyes

Oct. 27, 2019

DESI is an unprecedented effort to map millions of galaxies and quasars to better understand the nature of dark energy – the mysterious force that has pulled the universe apart since the Big Bang.

Read more at UANews
An artist’s impression of what a massive galaxy in the early universe might look like. The galaxy is undergoing an explosion of star formation, lighting up the gas surrounding the galaxy. Thick clouds of dust obscure most of the light, causing the galaxy to look dim and disorganized, very different from galaxies seen today. (Image: James Josephides/Christina Williams/Ivo Labbe)

Cosmic Yeti from the Dawn of the Universe Found Lurking in Dust

Oct. 21, 2019

The early universe is filled with monsters, a new study reveals. Researchers discovered a previously invisible galaxy, and perhaps a new galaxy population waiting to be discovered.

Read more at UANews
A comet worthy of worship: An artist illustration of what centaur SW1 would look like if it became an inner solar system Jupiter-Family comet at a distance of 0.2 AU (19 million miles) from Earth. The moon is in the upper right part of the frame for scale. (Image: Heather Roper)

Beyond Jupiter, Researchers Discovered a 'Cradle of Comets'

Oct. 21, 2019

Researchers have discovered a region just beyond Jupiter that acts as a "comet gateway," funneling icy bodies from deep space into the inner solar system.

Read more at UANews
Three representatives showing the diversity of plants: On the left is Lacunastrum gracillimum, a green alga. The middle image shows female cones of Gnetum gnemon, a representative of the gymnosperms, the group that includes conifers and gingko trees. Gnetum is an unusual gymnosperm in that it produces a seed enclosed in a juicy, fruit-mimicking layer. On the right is a flower from a cherry tree, Prunus domestica. (Photos: Michael Melkonian and Walter S. Judd)

Researchers 'Turn on the Lights' Across the Plant Tree of Life

Oct. 21, 2019

In the largest plant genome project to date, researchers generated gene sequences from more than 1,100 species, providing a framework for 1 billion years of green plant evolution.

Read more at UANews
Guang Yao, Kotaro Fujimaki and Kimiko Della Croce uncovering the mechanics of cellular sleep and shutdown. (Photo: Michele Vaughan)

Wake-Up Call: Cellular Sleep Isn’t As Harmless As Once Thought

Oct. 20, 2019

New research into the mechanics of cellular sleep and shutdown could shed light on the aging process and how science can potentially intervene.

Read more at UANews

Cybersecurity Students Benefit From Scholarship Program

Oct. 17, 2019

A program connecting University of Arizona students with significant financial support and high-end cybersecurity training in exchange for service in public institutions has received more funding. A $3.6 million grant renewal from the National Science Foundation will fund the AZSecure Cybersecurity Fellowship for another five to seven years.

Read more at UANews

Help us improve the College of Science web experience.

Share Your Feedback