News

One of three artificial hillslopes in the Landscape Evolution Observatory

Life on LEO: Plants to be Added to the Landscape Evolution Observatory at Biosphere 2

Oct. 12, 2021

Surprisingly little is known about how rain moves through landscapes once it's on the ground. A $3.5 million grant will allow scientists to study the role of plants and microbes in the process.

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A tractor in a sea of yellow powder (sulfur)

UArizona Chemists Develop Flame Retardant Sulfur Plastics from Fossil Fuel Waste

Oct. 7, 2021

Researchers have developed a way to turn sulfur – the byproduct of fossil fuel refining – into a flame retardant, high-end plastic that's rubbery, elastic and moldable.

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The asteroid Bennu

Highly Porous Rocks Responsible for Bennu's Surprisingly Craggy Surface

Oct. 6, 2021

Using data from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, a UArizona-led team of scientists concluded that asteroids with highly porous rocks, such as Bennu, should lack fine-grain material on their surfaces.

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Man on a boat in a flooded neighborhood.

New Research on Tropical Cyclone Extremes Could Aid in Disaster Planning

Oct. 6, 2021

Hurricanes and tropical storms are slowing down and dumping more water in the process. At-risk communities could use new research findings to prepare for future disasters.

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An asteroid in space with Earth in the background

'Mini Psyches' Give Insights into Mysterious Metal-Rich Near-Earth Asteroids

Oct. 1, 2021

New research into metal-rich asteroids reveals information about the origins and compositions of these rare bodies that could one day be mined.

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2020 & 2021 College of Science Faculty Reception

Sept. 30, 2021
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Woman thinking and looking out a window

What Our Wandering Thoughts Can Teach Us About Mental Health

Sept. 30, 2021

Researchers analyzed people's idle thoughts for 10 minutes. What they learned may be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues such as depression.

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UArizona Awarded $60 Million to Lead Precision Aging Network

Sept. 28, 2021

The network, established with funding from the National Institutes of Health, has the the ultimate goal of developing more effective brain-aging treatments and interventions targeted to the individual.

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footprints

Earliest Evidence of Human Activity Found in the Americas

Sept. 23, 2021

Footprints at White Sands National Park in New Mexico confirm human presence over at least two millennia, with the oldest tracks dating back 23,000 years.

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Artist's illustration of two massive objects colliding

Earth and Venus Grew up as Rambunctious Planets

Sept. 23, 2021

Using machine learning and simulations of giant impacts, researchers found that planets residing in the inner solar system were likely born from repeated hit-and-run collisions.

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Gravitationally lensed galaxy cluster MACSJ 0138

'Dead' Galaxies Mysteriously Ran Out of Fuel to Make Stars in Early Universe

Sept. 22, 2021

UArizona astronomers used massive galaxy clusters as natural magnifying glasses to discover strange galaxies that stopped making stars before their time. 

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Illustration of a black hole shredding a star in a tidal disruption event

This is What it Looks Like When a Black Hole Snacks on a Star

Sept. 16, 2021

Analyzing observations of an X-ray flare and fitting the data with theoretical models, astronomers documented a fatal encounter between an unlucky star and a black hole.

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