I’ll wake up as soon as the alarm goes off, when the phone lights up and starts vibrating on the table, even before the alarm begins sounding. This means that I’ll be the perfect roommate... Read More
What do mushrooms, frogs, and pufferfish all have in common? Besides being naturally occurring toxic entities, they are also found all over the world. I’m sure the first humans to figure that out are doing... Read More
I’m not kidding when I say I can crack almost every joint in my body. I crack my fingers, elbows, back, shoulder, knees, ankles, neck, and toes–not always in that exact order. Every single time... Read More
In the world of TikTok, the aesthetic of “cottagecore” has become a growing fascination: romanticizing the wilderness and a simplified countryside lifestyle. One lucky crop has become the star of cottagecore vibes: mushrooms! From vintage... Read More
Dinoflagellates emit bioluminescent light to survive from predators through a complex biochemical cascade, currently being investigated by Dr. Michael Latz at UC San Diego. When was the last time you looked up at the night... Read More
Plants have specialized molecular mechanisms that allow them to recognize and respond to herbivory by releasing volatile plant hormones that attract predators and stunt the growth of the feeding insects. The discovery of this mechanism... Read More
A marine microbe Salinispora tropica produces the salinosporamide A proteasome inhibitor that exhibits potent anti-cancer activity targeted particularly against glioblastoma. The Moore Lab at UC San Diego currently researches salinosporamide A, opening up the potential... Read More
In 2017, Dr. David “Davey” Smith, an infectious disease physician at UC San Diego, and his research group launched the “Last Gift Study,” an end-of-life study that recruits individuals living with both HIV and a... Read More
As new sequencing technologies emerge, scientists can characterize previously unknown microbes living on the shells of inside marine invertebrate hosts. UC San Diego Roy lab investigates how these microbial universes fluctuate with our ever-changing climate... Read More