LA JOLLA–After three days of member previews, Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego officially reopened to the public. Those returning to the aquarium will notice a number of changes aimed at keeping guests — as well as staff and volunteers — safe and healthy. Guest capacity will be limited during this […]
Anaplasmosis bacterium tinkers with tick’s gene expression to spread to new hosts
(Newswise)–For the first time, scientists have shown that the bacterium that causes the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis interferes with tick gene expression for its survival inside cells and to spread to a new vertebrate host. Girish Neelakanta of Old Dominion University and colleagues report these findings in a study published July 2 in PLOS Genetics. In […]
Landmark NASA SpaceX commercial crew test flight launch Wednesday
FLORIDA–NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight on Wednesday, May 27, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station. NASA and SpaceX are targeting 1:33 p.m. Wednesday for the launch of the first commercially-built and operated American rocket and spacecraft […]
Scientists see through glass frogs’ translucent camouflage
(Newswise)–Glass frogs are well known for their see-through skin but, until now, the reason for this curious feature has received no experimental attention. A team of scientists from the University of Bristol, McMaster University, and Universidad de Las Américas Quito, sought to establish the ecological importance of glass frog translucency and, in doing so, have […]
NASA-developed ventilator authorized by FDA for emergency use
A new high-pressure ventilator developed by NASA engineers and tailored to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) patients Friday was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use under the FDA’s March 24 ventilator Emergency Use Authorization. Called VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally), the device was developed by engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) […]
UC San Diego to advance stem cell therapies in new space station lab
(Newswise)–A three-year, nearly $5 million award from NASA will allow researchers at the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at UC San Diego Health, Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine and their partners at Space Tango to develop a new integrated space stem cell orbital research laboratory within the International Space Station (ISS) and launch three collaborative […]
NASA commemorates 50th anniversary of Apollo 13, ‘A Successful Failure’
As NASA marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission – which has become known as “a successful failure” that saw the safe return of its crew in spite of a catastrophic explosion – the agency is sharing a variety of resources, recognizing the triumph of the mission control team and the astronauts, and looking […]
New Thalattosaur species discovered in southeast Alaska
(Newswise)–Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have identified a new species of thalattosaur, a marine reptile that lived more than 200 million years ago. The new species, Gunakadeit joseeae, is the most complete thalattosaur ever found in North America and has given paleontologists new insights about the thalattosaurs’ family tree, according to a paper […]
Coast Guard, Scripps Institution of Oceanography open Blue Technology Center of Expertise
SAN DIEGO–The Coast Guard and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego launched the Blue Technology Center of Expertise (COE) on the Scripps Oceanography campus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and expo on Friday. Rep. John Garamendi, Rep. Scott Peters, Rep. Mike Levin, UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, Port of San Diego Commissioner […]
NASA’s Kepler witnesses Vampire Star system undergoing super-outburst
(Newswise)–NASA’s Kepler spacecraft was designed to find exoplanets by looking for stars that dim as a planet crosses the star’s face. Fortuitously, the same design makes it ideal for spotting other astronomical transients – objects that brighten or dim over time. A new search of Kepler archival data has uncovered an unusual super-outburst from a […]