Top Chef at UCLA ’Science and Food’ Event
The Eater blog on Thursday highlighted this year's first UCLA "Science and Food" event, which featured Brazilian chef Alex Atala. Organized by Amy Rowat, UCLA assistant professor of integrative biology and physiology, the events are presented in conjunction with Rowat's academic course "Science and Food: The Physical and Molecular Origins of What We Eat."
Blocking a key protein boosts immune system’s ability to clear chronic infection
UCLA scientists have shown that temporarily blocking a protein critical to immune response actually helps the body clear itself of chronic infection. Published in the April 12 edition of the journal Science, the finding suggests new approaches to treating persistent viral infections like HIV and hepatitis C.
Adriana Galván selected a William T. Grant Scholar
Adriana Galván, assistant professor of Psychology, has been selected a William T. Grant Scholar by the William T. Grant Foundation. The award is given to exceptional researchers early in their careers. Galván’s laboratory studies brain development in children, adolescents and adults using behavioral and neuroimaging techniques.
Scientists decode genome of painted turtle, revealing clues to extraordinary adaptations
Humans could learn a thing or two from turtles, and scientists who have just sequenced the first turtle genome uncovered clues about how people can benefit from the shelled creatures' remarkable longevity and ability to survive for months without breathing.
Army veteran, a UCLA student, teaches class on combat and military life
his spring, Andrew Nicholls, a UCLA senior and eight-year army veteran, shared his firsthand perspectives about the military and combat by teaching a new psychology course through the Psychology department called 'Fast Cars and Battle Scars: Understanding the Modern Combat Veteran and PTSD.'
Adoptees Do Equally Well in Gay, Straight Families
Social-science research on same-sex families highlighted a study by Jill Waterman, UCLA adjunct professor of psychology; Letitia Anne Peplau, UCLA distinguished research professor of psychology; and Justin Lavner, a UCLA doctoral candidate in psychology, showing that high-risk children adopted from foster care do equally well when they are placed with gay, lesbian or heterosexual parents.
Public Tickets Now On Sale for UCLA’s Science & Food Lecture Series
Public tickets for the extremely popular, second-annual campus "Science and Food" lecture series, taught by food scientist Amy Rowat,are now available.
Blue flies, deterioration of the intestinal barrier, and age-related death
Aging is marked by the accumulation of wear and tear on the body’s organs and tissues, but the specific kinds of damage that usher in death are still unknown. David Walker and his colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles, suspected that the intestines may play a key role. In previous studies, when energy metabolism in the intestines was boosted, the flies’ lifespan increased.
Profile: Amy Rowat
A profile on Amy Rowat, UCLA assistant professor of Integrative Biology and Physiology, highlighting her annual "Science and Food" public events, which feature top chefs and are presented in conjunction with her UCLA academic course, "Science and Food: The Physical and Molecular Origins of What We Eat."
Predicting hotspots for future flu outbreaks
Thomas Smith, director of the UCLA Center for Tropical Research and professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Trevon Fuller, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Tropical Research have developed a technique that allows us to predict sites where human and bird viruses could mix and generate a future pandemic.