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A study published in the March 5 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) describes how the supercomputers at the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego were used to simulate the merger of a G-protein “mimetic nanobody” to a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), the largest and most diverse group of membrane receptors in animals, plants, fungi, and protozoa.

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The Health Cyberinfrastructure Division of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California San Diego has expanded its cloud offerings to include a Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)-compliant environment that is now available to researchers working with government contracts and grants.

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A new computational resource called Recon3D provides a 3D view of genes, proteins and metabolites involved in human metabolism. Researchers used the tool to map disease-related mutations on proteins and also probed how genes and proteins change in response to certain drugs. The work provides a better understanding of disease-causing mutations and could enable researchers to discover new uses for existing drug treatments.

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The University of California San Diego Department of Music is well known for its emphasis on experimental music and sound in composition, performance and scholarship, and brings this to the forefront at a special two-day conference March 2-3. “Sonic Fluidities: An Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference” is the first of its kind at UC San Diego, organized by a committee of current Integrative Studies program students.

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The next computer-generated animals in King Kong or The Lion King could look a lot more realistic thanks to a breakthrough by computer scientists at the University of California. The researchers from UC San Diego and UC Berkeley developed a method that dramatically improves the way computers simulate fur, and more specifically, the way light bounces within an animal’s pelt.

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Two University of California San Diego projects, along with a complementary University of Nevada, Reno project, have been selected as recipients of the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) 2018 Innovations in Networking Award for Experimental Applications in recognition of work advancing IT and telecommunications technologies to help minimize potential damage caused by wildfires.

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Presented together for the first time, seven internationally recognized artists are featured in the UC San Diego exhibition “Stories That We Tell: Art and Identity,” celebrating those who paved the way for greater inclusion by inventing new means to address issues of race and gender.

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Computers have helped researchers develop a new phosphor that can make LEDs cheaper and render colors more accurately. An international team led by engineers at UC San Diego first predicted the new phosphor using supercomputers and data mining algorithms, then developed a simple recipe to make it in the lab. Unlike many phosphors, this one is made of inexpensive, earth-abundant elements and can easily be made using industrial methods. As computers predicted, the new phosphor performed well in tests and in LED prototypes.

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A team of scientists has developed an algorithm that can accurately pinpoint, in large regions of the human genome, mutations favored by natural selection. The finding provides deeper insight into how evolution works, and ultimately could lead to better treatments for genetic disorders. For example, adaptation to chronic hypoxia at high altitude can suggest targets for cardiovascular and other ischemic diseases.

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A collaborative group of researchers from the University of California San Diego traveled to Turin, Italy recently to digitally map an entire portion of the city — complete with historic architecture, expansive murals and stunning works of art. Digital data will be used by students and researchers on campus to explore the site’s buildings and artifacts, ultimately recreating an interactive, virtual-reality experience.

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Scientists have found that DNA executes an unexpected architectural role in shaping the cells of bacteria. Studying bacteria, the researchers used an array of experiments and technologies to reveal that DNA, beyond serving to encode genetic information, also “pumps up” bacterial cells.

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UC San Diego celebrates the launch of the Krupp endowment at the new Centers for Integrative Health, thanks to Richard N. Krupp’s philanthropic legacy, which may be realized at over $30 million in the coming years.

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Is a picture worth a thousand words? While new psychology research from UC San Diego doesn't quantify the truth of the adage, it does show that a single picture has the power to sway people – changing how they behave – while a single word does not. Even a picture that’s barely seen, flashed on a screen for only 10 milliseconds, seems able to alter behavior.

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Using new technologies developed to extract information from bones, researchers are learning more about populations of green sea turtles. While their numbers remain dangerously depleted, the new data show that these turtles are spending more time offshore, increasing their risk as bycatch.

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Two new works selected for the prestigious Humana Festival of New American Plays were written by University of California San Diego playwrights, marking the first time a UC San Diego faculty member and MFA student have had their work featured simultaneously.

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On the hunt for genes involved in regenerating critical nerve fibers called axons, biologists at the University of California San Diego came away with a surprise: The discovery of a new genetic pathway that carries hope for victims of traumatic injuries—from stroke to spinal cord damage.

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Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed an energy-efficient recycling process that restores used cathodes from spent lithium ion batteries and makes them work just as good as new. The process involves harvesting the degraded cathode particles from a used battery and then boiling and heat treating them. Researchers built new batteries using the regenerated cathodes. Charge storage capacity, charging time and battery lifetime were all restored to their original levels.

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In a paper published in Nature Microbiology on Jan. 22, a team of American and Russian computer scientists described a new algorithm that identified an order of magnitude, or roughly 10 times more, naturally occurring antibiotics than all previous studies.

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The University of California San Diego today announced that Rep. John Lewis, often called “one of the most courageous persons the civil rights movement ever produced,” will offer the keynote address at the invitation-only UC San Diego All Campus Commencement June 16, 2018.

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A team of researchers has developed an ultrasound-based system that can non-invasively and remotely control genetic processes in live immune T cells so that they recognize and kill cancer cells.

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A new study integrating data from around the globe has shown that honey bees are the world’s most important single species of pollinator in natural ecosystems and a key contributor to natural ecosystem functions. The report weaves together information from 80 plant-pollinator interaction networks.

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University of California San Diego Extension recently received accreditation for its Lactation Consultant program from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education programs (CAAHEP), making it one of only four programs in the world to have that recognition.

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Researchers at UC San Diego have developed macrophage "nanosponges"—nanoparticles cloaked in the cell membranes of macrophages—that can safely remove sepsis-causing molecules from the bloodstream. In lab tests, these macrophage nanosponges improved survival rates in mice with sepsis.

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Some secrets to repairing our skeletons might be found in the silky webs of spiders, according to recent experiments guided by supercomputers. Scientists involved say their results will help understand the details of osteoregeneration, or how bones repair themselves.

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The combined effects of pesticides and a lack of nutrition form a deadly one-two punch for animals, new research shows for the first time. Researchers studied how honey bees fared with exposure to pesticides and limited nutrient sources, scenarios found in agricultural areas.

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How sensitive is the human sense of touch? Sensitive enough to feel the difference between surfaces that differ by just a single layer of molecules, a team of researchers at the University of California San Diego has shown

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Computer scientists have built and successfully tested a tool designed to detect when websites are hacked by monitoring the activity of email accounts associated with them. The researchers were surprised to find that almost 1 percent of the websites they tested had suffered a data breach during their 18-month study period, regardless of how big the companies' reach and audience are.

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Researchers have identified a promising new strategy to fight infections and cancer. They uncovered a novel function for a protein known as “Runx3” that is key to the development of killer T cells—immune cells important for fighting infections and cancer.

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Researchers have developed new single-cell sequencing methods that could be used to map the cell origins of various brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. By analyzing individual nuclei of cells from adult human brains, researchers have identified 35 different subtypes of neurons and glial cells and discovered which of these subtypes are most susceptible to common risk factors for different brain diseases.

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UC San Diego’s pre-college programs provide an opportunity for high school students to get a jump start on the college experience with two residential summer programs. Applications are now open for Academic Connections and Global Environment Leadership and Sustainability (GELS) programs.

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Engineers at the UC San Diego Center for Wearable Sensors have developed a smartphone case and app that could make it easier for patients to record and track their blood glucose readings, whether they’re at home or on the go.

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A Chinese team of researchers awarded this year’s prestigious Gordon Bell prize for simulating the devastating 1976 earthquake in Tangshan, China, used an open-source code developed by researchers at the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego and San Diego State University with support from the Southern California Earthquake Center.

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A new small-molecule drug can restore brain function and memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. The molecule, called anle138b, works by stopping toxic ion flow in the brain that is known to trigger nerve cell death. Scientists envision that this drug could be used to treat Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and ALS.

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The University of California San Diego Extension released its “Emerging Careers for 2017” report that details the most in-demand jobs with the highest growth potential both in San Diego and nationally.

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Researchers from the University of California San Diego and Adobe Research have demonstrated how artificial intelligence and neural networks could one day create custom apparel designs to help retailers and apparel makers sell clothing to consumers based on what they learned from a buyer's preferences.

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A team of bioengineers and bioinformaticians at the University of California San Diego have discovered how the environment surrounding a tumor can trigger metastatic behavior in cancer cells. Specifically, when tumor cells are confined in a dense environment, the researchers found that they turn on a specific set of genes and begin to form structures that resemble blood vessels.

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The discovery of nanoscale changes deep inside hybrid perovskites could shed light on developing low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells. Using X-ray beams and lasers, a team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego discovered how the movement of ions in hybrid perovskites causes certain regions within the material to become better solar cells than other parts.

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The University of California San Diego has joined the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Research University Consortium, a prestigious academic leadership group in the humanities. There are currently 35 additional top universities in the consortium.The consortium’s mission is to increase financial support for and overall number of academic researchers in the humanities and related social sciences.

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To help close the gap between the pace of innovation and society’s ability to deal with these advances responsibly, the University of California San Diego—one of the world’s greatest producers of technology, medical innovations and scientific knowledge—has launched the Institute for Practical Ethics.

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The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California San Diego received two key HPCwire awards for 2017, recognizing the use of its Comet supercomputer in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) research and the life sciences.

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A faster collision detection algorithm could enable robots to work more fluidly in the operating room or at home for assisted living. The algorithm, dubbed “Fastron,” runs up to 8 times faster than existing collision detection algorithms. It uses machine learning to help robots avoid moving objects and weave through complex, rapidly changing environments in real time.

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A renowned artist, Anna Sew Hoy will both practice her craft as well as mentor and instruct UC San Diego students during a critical stage of their artistic development.

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Researchers studying how animals respond to infections have found a new pathway that may help in tolerating stressors that damage proteins. Naming the pathway the Intracellular Pathogen Response, the scientists say it is a newly discovered way for animals to cope with certain types of stress and attacks, including heat shock.

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A study led by Kevin King, a bioengineer and physician at the University of California San Diego, has found that the immune system plays a surprising role in the aftermath of heart attacks. The research could lead to new therapeutic strategies for heart disease. Researchers present their findings in the Nov. 6 issue of Nature Medicine.

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Scientists have helped decipher the dynamics that control how our cells age, and with it implications for extending human longevity. The group used cutting-edge computational and experimental approaches to discover new details about chromatin silencing. The bottom line: balance is the key to aging.

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Spanning two years, from March 2015 to February 2017, CAIDA researchers and collaborators found that about one-third of the IPv4 address space was subject to some kind of DoS attacks, where a perpetrator maliciously disrupts services of a host connected to the internet.

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The Health Cyberinfrastructure Division at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California San Diego, in partnership with University of California Office of the President (UCOP) Risk Services, has deployed a secure, HIPAA-compliant Hadoop-based Data Management System (DMS) within Sherlock Cloud. This secure platform will provide a mechanism to collect, process, and transform UC Healthcare data from multiple sources and various formats into a single, integrated data set to enable UCOP Risk Services better manage UC’s liability program.

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Using an advanced form of optical microscopy, scientists have uncovered how oxygen levels—even those in different brain hemispheres—connect to share signals when the body rests. Their results have immediate impact on human health and medicine applications, including higher resolution imaging methods to study connections within the brain.

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As a former clinical laboratory scientist (CLS) student, Melissa Dull knew the financial struggles of being enrolled in a full-time training program. Before her passing, Dull generously donated $100,000 to the UC San Diego Extension CLS Program.

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Biologists have uncovered a mechanism linking a human gene’s function to chronic inflammation and cancer. They discovered that “mutant p53” taps the body’s immune response system to fuel pro-inflammatory responses that increase cancer growth.