http://newscenter.berkeley.edu News from the University of California, Berkeley Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:00:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://www.pewhealth.org/news-room/press-releases/from-autism-to-diabetes-to-parkinsons-disease-pew-funds-22-early-career-scientists-to-take-calculated-risks-85899482863 http://www.pewhealth.org/news-room/press-releases/from-autism-to-diabetes-to-parkinsons-disease-pew-funds-22-early-career-scientists-to-take-calculated-risks-85899482863#comments Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:33:41 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=35165 Assistant professor Hillel Adesnik, a neuroscientist in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, was named a Pew Scholar, one of 22 early-career faculty members from around the nation so honored. A former UCSF post-doc, Adesnik uses novel optical probing technologies to uncover the neural basis of perception.]]> http://www.pewhealth.org/news-room/press-releases/from-autism-to-diabetes-to-parkinsons-disease-pew-funds-22-early-career-scientists-to-take-calculated-risks-85899482863/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/12/auditory-perception-coding/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/12/auditory-perception-coding/#comments Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:45:10 +0000 Sarah Yang http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34208 Research News Brief: Neuroscientists find that people summarize sound sequences in a study that could help improve speech recognition programs and hearing aids. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/12/auditory-perception-coding/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/12/researchers-develop-easy-and-effective-therapy-to-restore-sight/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/12/researchers-develop-easy-and-effective-therapy-to-restore-sight/#comments Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:00:26 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34980 Gene therapy using adeno-associated virus (AAV) has successfully restored sight to people with a rare inherited retinal degeneration, but current therapy requires injecting the virus directly into the retina. UC Berkeley researchers have evolved AAV so that it is able to penetrate the retina, allowing doctors to inject the virus and its gene load into the vitreous to reach all cells of the retina.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/12/researchers-develop-easy-and-effective-therapy-to-restore-sight/feed/ 0 http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201306060930 http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201306060930#comments Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:45:59 +0000 Public Affairs http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=35086 After two years of sparse rains, California fire officials say the 2013 wildfire season has started a month early and that the fires so far have been stronger than usual. Max Moritz and Bill Stewart, Cooperative Extension specialists with the College of Natural Resources, discuss the future of California wildfires in light of climate change, on KQED radio's "Forum" program.]]> http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201306060930/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/11/five-new-bakar-fellows-pursue-path-to-marketplace/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/11/five-new-bakar-fellows-pursue-path-to-marketplace/#comments Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:44:06 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=35070 Five UC Berkeley scientists eager to take their lab-bench discoveries into the marketplace have been awarded Bakar Fellowships to help them achieve their goals. They are chemist Felix Fischer, biologist Daniela Kaufer, mechanical engineer Lydia Sohn, physicist Feng Wang and plant and microbial biologist Mary Wildermuth.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/11/five-new-bakar-fellows-pursue-path-to-marketplace/feed/ 0 https://www.broadinstitute.org/news/globalalliance https://www.broadinstitute.org/news/globalalliance#comments Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:10:12 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=35044 UC Berkeley and some 70 other research institutions, non-profits and funding agencies around the globe have signed an agreement to create a way to securely share the genetic information gathered in human research but unavailable now to other scientists.]]> https://www.broadinstitute.org/news/globalalliance/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/2013/06/05/nobel-laureate-to-discuss-temperature-and-fate-of-universe/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/05/nobel-laureate-to-discuss-temperature-and-fate-of-universe/#comments Wed, 05 Jun 2013 17:00:01 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34981 Nobel laureate Eric A. Cornell will give a free public lecture at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11, titled “Lazy vs. sloppy: The epic story of energy, entropy, temperature, the ultimate fate of the universe and the role of divine intervention.” Cornell's talk is part of the 21st International Conference on Laser Spectroscopy hosted by UC Berkeley.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/05/nobel-laureate-to-discuss-temperature-and-fate-of-universe/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/04/with-global-warming-will-iguanas-grow-as-big-as-komodo-dragons/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/04/with-global-warming-will-iguanas-grow-as-big-as-komodo-dragons/#comments Wed, 05 Jun 2013 00:00:18 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34982 Based on fossils in the Museum of Paleontology, scientists have identified a giant vegetarian lizard that roamed South Asia 40 million years ago, suggesting that plant-eating lizards can grow larger in warmer periods - and perhaps in our planet's warming future.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/04/with-global-warming-will-iguanas-grow-as-big-as-komodo-dragons/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/04/roman-concrete/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/04/roman-concrete/#comments Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:00:14 +0000 Sarah Yang http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34704 In a quest to make concrete more durable and sustainable, a UC Berkeley-led team of geologists and engineers has found inspiration in the ancient Romans, whose massive concrete structures have withstood the elements for more than 2,000 years. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/04/roman-concrete/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/2013/05/30/scientists-capture-first-images-of-molecules-before-and-after-reaction/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/30/scientists-capture-first-images-of-molecules-before-and-after-reaction/#comments Thu, 30 May 2013 17:20:26 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34872 Using atomic force microscopy, chemist Felix Fischer and physicist Michael Crommie have for the first time captured images of molecules before and after they react, which will allow chemists to better tune reactions to get the products they want. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/30/scientists-capture-first-images-of-molecules-before-and-after-reaction/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/28/light-controlled-hydrogel/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/28/light-controlled-hydrogel/#comments Tue, 28 May 2013 17:05:43 +0000 Sarah Yang http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34705 Research News Brief: BIoengineers make strides in soft robotics with new light-controlled hydrogel]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/28/light-controlled-hydrogel/feed/ 0 http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2013/05/22/breast-feeding-neanderthals-would-get-top-marks-from-todays-pediatricians/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=breast-feeding-neanderthals-would-get-top-marks-from-todays-pediatricians http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2013/05/22/breast-feeding-neanderthals-would-get-top-marks-from-todays-pediatricians/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=breast-feeding-neanderthals-would-get-top-marks-from-todays-pediatricians#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 18:20:39 +0000 Public Affairs http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34873 Like all mammals, the Neanderthals breast fed their babies. Scientists wanted to know: For how long? In a new report in Nature, researchers from UC Berkeley and other institutions say the answer can be found in the fossilized tooth of an eight-year old Neanderthal child, discovered in a Belgian cave. KQED's science blog reports.]]> http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2013/05/22/breast-feeding-neanderthals-would-get-top-marks-from-todays-pediatricians/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=breast-feeding-neanderthals-would-get-top-marks-from-todays-pediatricians/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/campus-to-share-expertise-with-middle-eastern-research-center/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/22/campus-to-share-expertise-with-middle-eastern-research-center/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 18:20:40 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34599 UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau signed a memorandum of understanding in April, committing the campus to sharing scientific and technical expertise with a new X-ray research center under construction in Jordan. The center, called SESAME, unites scientists from throughout the Middle East.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/22/campus-to-share-expertise-with-middle-eastern-research-center/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/2013/05/16/musiccolors/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/16/musiccolors/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 17:00:27 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34640 Whether we’re listening to Bach or the blues, our brains are wired to make music-color connections depending on how the melodies make us feel, according to new research from UC Berkeley. For instance, Mozart’s jaunty Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major is most often associated with bright yellow and orange, whereas his somber Requiem in D minor is more likely to be linked to dark, bluish gray. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/16/musiccolors/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/13/biology-scholars-thanks/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/13/biology-scholars-thanks/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 19:48:06 +0000 Public Affairs http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34675 More than 50 students and 30 alumni of Berkeley's Biology Scholars Program gathered recently in the Durant Hall atrium to thank Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer for their support.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/13/biology-scholars-thanks/feed/ 0