http://newscenter.berkeley.edu News from the University of California, Berkeley Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:46:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/19/scientists-date-prehistoric-bacterial-invasion-still-present-in-todays-cells/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/19/scientists-date-prehistoric-bacterial-invasion-still-present-in-todays-cells/#comments Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:20:27 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=35212 Two UC Berkeley doctoral candidates have found more precise dates for when bacteria invaded the one-celled ancestors of plants and animals to become energy-producing mitochondria and photosynthesizing chloroplasts. They found that the cyanobacterial invasion of plants took place millions of years more recently than thought.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/19/scientists-date-prehistoric-bacterial-invasion-still-present-in-todays-cells/feed/ 0 http://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/article/uc-berkeley-and-mit-launch-energy-efficiency-research-project http://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/article/uc-berkeley-and-mit-launch-energy-efficiency-research-project#comments Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:30:41 +0000 Carol Ness http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=35203 But are these programs realizing their potential? Researchers from Berkeley-Haas and the MIT Energy Initiative have come together to collaborate on a new research project, dubbed E2e, an interdisciplinary effort that aims to evaluate and improve energy-efficiency policies and technologies. ]]> http://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/article/uc-berkeley-and-mit-launch-energy-efficiency-research-project/feed/ 0 http://www.energybiosciencesinstitute.org/news/first-patent-granted-research-energy-biosciences-institute-ron-kolb-energy-biosciences http://www.energybiosciencesinstitute.org/news/first-patent-granted-research-energy-biosciences-institute-ron-kolb-energy-biosciences#comments Wed, 05 Jun 2013 23:22:56 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=35036 The Energy Biosciences Institute has obtained its first patent, a milestone for the group that hopes to make biofuels a viable source of energy. The patent is on 2009 research in which fungal genes were inserted into yeast to allow the yeast to eat a broader range of plant sugars and turn them into alcohol for fuel.]]> http://www.energybiosciencesinstitute.org/news/first-patent-granted-research-energy-biosciences-institute-ron-kolb-energy-biosciences/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/31/qa-campus-environmental-manager-tom-klatt-talks-about-hillside-tree-removal-plan/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/31/qa-campus-environmental-manager-tom-klatt-talks-about-hillside-tree-removal-plan/#comments Fri, 31 May 2013 20:57:08 +0000 Public Affairs http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34886 UC Berkeley, along with the City of Oakland and the East Bay Regional Park District, has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency grants to remove trees in the East Bay hills to reduce the chance and severity of wildfires. As the public considers the project, UC Berkeley’s Tom Klatt, campus environmental manager, answers key questions about it.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/31/qa-campus-environmental-manager-tom-klatt-talks-about-hillside-tree-removal-plan/feed/ 0 http://nature.berkeley.edu/blogs/news/2013/05/gilless_reappointed_cnr_dean.php#more http://nature.berkeley.edu/blogs/news/2013/05/gilless_reappointed_cnr_dean.php#more#comments Fri, 31 May 2013 20:47:20 +0000 Carol Ness http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34942 J. Keith Gilless has been reappointed as dean of UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources, effective July 1, for a five-year period, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer announced Thursday (May 30). ]]> http://nature.berkeley.edu/blogs/news/2013/05/gilless_reappointed_cnr_dean.php#more/feed/ 0 http://www.sciencefriday.com/video/05/31/2013/teacher-feature-ethnobotanist-tom-carlson.html http://www.sciencefriday.com/video/05/31/2013/teacher-feature-ethnobotanist-tom-carlson.html#comments Fri, 31 May 2013 16:53:11 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34938 NPR's Flora Lichtman of Science Friday profiles ethnobotanist Thomas Carlson and his love of teaching in a new segment called "Teacher Feature."]]> http://www.sciencefriday.com/video/05/31/2013/teacher-feature-ethnobotanist-tom-carlson.html/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/23/worlds-top-scientists-california-nations-must-act-now-on-environment/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/23/worlds-top-scientists-california-nations-must-act-now-on-environment/#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 16:30:09 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34840 At the request of California Gov. Jerry Brown, UC Berkeley biologist Tony Barnosky prepared with 15 other scientists a consensus statement about the environmental problems endangering Earth and what policy makers should do about it, and garnered more than 500 signatures before presenting it to Brown on May 23.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/23/worlds-top-scientists-california-nations-must-act-now-on-environment/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/22/citizen-scientists-help-calbug/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/22/citizen-scientists-help-calbug/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 17:30:14 +0000 Sarah Yang http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34545 UC Berkeley's Essig Museum of Entomology is opening up its collections to citizen scientists through a project called Calbug. The project crowdsources the digitization of a million handwritten field notes that accompany insect specimens, many of which were collected more than a century ago. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/22/citizen-scientists-help-calbug/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/21/architecture-student-among-11-us-recipients-of-new-sustainability-fellowship/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/21/architecture-student-among-11-us-recipients-of-new-sustainability-fellowship/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 22:30:00 +0000 Kathleen Maclay http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34835 By updating and expanding California’s utility-allowance calculator, Berkeley grad student Antony Kim hopes to make sustainable architecture more available to low-cost housing developers. He and his faculty mentor, Galen Cranz, are winners of the first-ever Schmidt-MacArthur Fellowship, which encourages the design of sustainable products and processes.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/21/architecture-student-among-11-us-recipients-of-new-sustainability-fellowship/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/14/racial-segregation-heat-risk-disparity/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/14/racial-segregation-heat-risk-disparity/#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 07:05:24 +0000 Sarah Yang http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34210 Some racial groups are more likely to bear the brunt of extreme heat waves because of where they live, finds a new UC Berkeley study. The study highlight racial disparities at a time when the frequency and intensity of extreme heat waves is expected to increase with climate change. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/14/racial-segregation-heat-risk-disparity/feed/ 0 http://www.valuepenguin.com/UC-Berkeley-Veterinary-Amanda-Wong http://www.valuepenguin.com/UC-Berkeley-Veterinary-Amanda-Wong#comments Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:43:14 +0000 Public Affairs http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34567 Aspiring veterinarian (or zookeeper) Amanda Wong is VP of the Cal Pre-Vet Club. In an interview with ValuePenguin, "a blog for pets," the Berkeley junior talks about her stint as a zoo volunteer, teaching visitors about horned frogs and golden eagles — and other experiences with animals so far.]]> http://www.valuepenguin.com/UC-Berkeley-Veterinary-Amanda-Wong/feed/ 0 http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/bicyclefriendlyuniversity/ http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/bicyclefriendlyuniversity/#comments Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:00:03 +0000 Public Affairs http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34544 The Bicycle Friendly University program recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bicycle-friendly campus for students, staff and visitors. ]]> http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/bicyclefriendlyuniversity/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/19/fourth-generation-berkeley-student-wins-truman-scholarship/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/19/fourth-generation-berkeley-student-wins-truman-scholarship/#comments Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:30:41 +0000 Roibín Ó hÉochaidh http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34433 The Blum Center's Rebecca Peters, whose classroom work and field research focus on issues of water security, management and equity, is one of 62 “exceptional college juniors” nationwide selected as 2013 Harry S. Truman scholars.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/19/fourth-generation-berkeley-student-wins-truman-scholarship/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/19/uc-berkeley-sustainability-at-10/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/19/uc-berkeley-sustainability-at-10/#comments Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:31:08 +0000 Cathy Cockrell http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=33989 Over the past decade, environmentally minded students have championed an ambitious effort to green UC Berkeley. From aggressive climate action to organic dining options and a zero-waste goal, campus sustainability today has an army of participants and deep institutional support.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/19/uc-berkeley-sustainability-at-10/feed/ 0 http://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/article/haas-faculty-launch-crowdfunding-campaign-solar-light-research-uganda http://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/article/haas-faculty-launch-crowdfunding-campaign-solar-light-research-uganda#comments Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:00:40 +0000 Public Affairs http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34491 Three Haas professors are bypassing traditional grants and going straight to crowdfunding to raise money for a study on how to get people in rural Uganda to replace dangerous kerosene lanterns with life-changing solar lamps.]]> http://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/article/haas-faculty-launch-crowdfunding-campaign-solar-light-research-uganda/feed/ 0 https://www.llnl.gov/news/newsreleases/2013/Apr/NR-13-04-03.html https://www.llnl.gov/news/newsreleases/2013/Apr/NR-13-04-03.html#comments Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:17:31 +0000 Carol Ness http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34452 Scientists at UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have discovered new materials that can soak up methane, a substantial and growing driver of global climate change.]]> https://www.llnl.gov/news/newsreleases/2013/Apr/NR-13-04-03.html/feed/ 0 http://www.law.berkeley.edu/15180.htm http://www.law.berkeley.edu/15180.htm#comments Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:35:28 +0000 Public Affairs http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34411 A new report on fracking in California warns of potentially irreversible contamination of surface and groundwater near oil drilling sites, unless the technique is carefully monitored and controlled. "Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing in California: A Wastewater and Water Quality Perspective" is an independent analysis produced by Berkeley Law scholars.]]> http://www.law.berkeley.edu/15180.htm/feed/ 0 http://nature.berkeley.edu/blogs/news/2013/04/perfect_storm_of_climate_chang.php#more http://nature.berkeley.edu/blogs/news/2013/04/perfect_storm_of_climate_chang.php#more#comments Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:22:52 +0000 Sarah Yang http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34367 The African Sahel, beset with impacts from climate change and the most rapidly growing population in the world, could descend into large-scale drought, famine, war and terrorist control if immediate steps are not taken, according to a new report by experts from UC Berkeley and the African Institute for Development Policy. ]]> http://nature.berkeley.edu/blogs/news/2013/04/perfect_storm_of_climate_chang.php#more/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/02/shifting-rainfall-patterns-in-tropics/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/02/shifting-rainfall-patterns-in-tropics/#comments Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:10:44 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34180 UC Berkeley climatologist John Chiang, geography graduate student Andrew Friedman and colleagues from the University of Washington found that changes in the temperature difference between the Northern and Southern hemispheres during the 20th century were linked to catastrophic changes in tropical rainfall. As the difference rises, the tropics could see future rainfall disruptions.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/02/shifting-rainfall-patterns-in-tropics/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/02/poi-dayton-hyde/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/02/poi-dayton-hyde/#comments Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:15:18 +0000 Steve Hockensmith http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34264 Dayton Hyde, 88, has been a cowboy, a rodeo clown, a rancher, a photographer, a non-fiction author, a novelist, a poet and a conservationist. And now he's the star of a new documentary.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/02/poi-dayton-hyde/feed/ 0