In Pain? Find a Photo of a Loved One

Naomi Eisenberger, UCLA assistant professor of psychology, and her team recently published a brain-imaging study showing that young women who were administered a moderate pain stimulus experienced a reduction in pain when they viewed a photograph of their boyfriend.

Teens, Brains and Stress

Adriana Galvan, assistant professor of developmental psychology, has recently found that the brains of teens and adults react differently under stress and when dealing with risky situations. Galvan is quoted.

Life sciences professor awarded Rita Allen Foundation grant

Elissa Hallem, assistant professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and a member of UCLA’s Molecular Biology Institute, has been honored as a 2011 Rita Allen Foundation Scholar. The award is granted to seven researchers in biomedical science who will receive a total of $3.5 million in grants as 2011 Rita Allen Foundation Scholars.

Why Less Attractive Men Make Better Mates

An MSN blog on Monday highlighted a study by UCLA researchers and colleagues suggesting that for women, dating a less attractive man may result in a happier, more emotionally satisfying relationship. Benjamin Karney, UCLA associate professor of psychology, was quoted.

The Long Tale of the Opossum

A column in Monday’s New York Times about opossums cited research by Ines Horovitz, UCLA assistant adjunct professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, suggesting that the earliest marsupials most likely resembled opossums. Horovitz was quoted.

UCLA teams with Roche to advance stem cell research

UCLA announced that they have partnered with Roche to give UCLA stem cell and cancer scientists early access to leading-edge technologies in an effort to advance medical research. The agreement the researchers with leading-edge technologies, which will drive research capabilities and further the understanding of complex disease. The technologies, including the latest generation microarray systems from Roche NimbleGen, high-throughput screening instruments, genetic expression profilers and exome sequencing technologies will provide scientists with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA and UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center with valuable technology directly from Roche’s research and development pipeline.

The Benefits of ‘Perceptual Learning’

An article in today’s New York Times about perceptual learning, which relies largely on gut-instinct, cites studies by UCLA researchers and colleagues in which school students were asked to solve mathematical problems that often required more intuition than mathematical knowledge. Philip J. Kellman, UCLA professor of cognitive psychology, is quoted.