University of Arizona in the News

BBC Today
The global fight against snake bites

Venomous snake bites are responsible for 138,000 deaths every year around the world. Experts are exploring some disarmingly simple interventions help to save lives. "Snake bites are a far bigger problem than many people realize," said Leslie Boyer, founding director of the Venom Immunochemistry, Pharmacology and Emergency Response Institute at the University of Arizona. The World Health Organization considers snake bites to be such a burden on some communities that they recently classified snake bite envenomation – where venom is injected by a bite – as a neglected tropical disease.
The Wall Street Journal Monday
How long do COVID-19 vaccines provide immunity?

COVID-19 vaccines will likely provide at least some degree of protection for a long time because there are so many layers of immunity, said Deepta Bhattacharya, an associate professor of immunobiology at the University of Arizona. The first shots of the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provide reasonable protection. Then the second shot bumps up the level of antibodies and T cells produced by the body, he said. T cells are white blood cells that destroy cells infected by viruses. There's "a lot of room to decline and still be protected," he said.

The New Yorker Monday
The moms who are battling climate change

A group of climate scientists who are mothers are using their scientific and maternal experiences to help demystify climate change and bring scientific facts into homes across the country. JoellenRussell, a member of Science Moms and climate scientist at the University of Arizona, said the group is focusing on providing simple, straightforward information that breaks down climate change science into a more digestible size.
The Wall Street Journal April 11, 2021
What to do (and not do) with a target-date fund after retiring

According to an analysis last year by David Brown, an assistant professor of finance at the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management, and University of Colorado professor Shaun Davis, Americans could be paying in excess of $2 billion a year more than they would if they managed their own savings with a portfolio of low-fee exchange traded funds. One reason for inflated fees, the professors say: Many fund managers stock their target-date-fund portfolios with their own actively managed products, which tend to have much higher fees.
USA Today April 9, 2021
'It's still hard': Moms who breastfeed face challenges as offices reopen amid COVID

The barriers working moms face providing breast milk to their babies made headlines during the recent NCAA tournament when University of Arizona women's basketball coach Adia Barnes had to pump milk at halftime, and other nursing mothers had to choose between bringing their infants to the COVID-19 restricted competition, or taking members of their staffs. "They have to warm up the bottle with the heat packs that are here on the sideline," said ESPN reporter Holly Rowe, speaking about Barnes' multiple responsibilities during games. "Let's normalize working mothers, and all that they have to do to make it all happen."
Inverse April 8, 2021
Asteroid Bennu close encounter could help NASA predict a future apocalypse

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft completed its last flyover of Bennu yesterday. The mission team will have to wait a few more days to find out how the spacecraft changed the surface of Bennu when it grabbed a sample of the asteroid.
Site Selection Magazine April 8, 2021
Nuturing the continuum

University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins discusses the university's role as an economic driver and workforce developer.
The Christian Science Monitor April 6, 2021
'First Person Singular' delves into lost love and strange happenings

Japanese writer Haruki Murakami offers a collection of imaginative short stories with skewed elements. In this story collection, Murakami continues his partnership with University of Arizona professor Philip Gabriel, one of Murakami's preferred translators.
Inside Higher Ed April 5, 2021
Ensuring LGBTQ inclusion in sports

Athlete Ally, an advocacy group for LGBTQ equality in sports that grades Division I athletic departments' policies and practices, is raising awareness about inclusion of transgender athletes. The group released its third Athlete Equality Index today, which rates the policies of all 353 institutions in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and how they treat LGBTQ students. Thomas Harris, assistant athletic director for diversity, inclusion and engagement at the University of Arizona, which received a perfect score on the index, said Athlete Ally's standards for LGBTQ inclusion are "foundational" for every college athletic department and do not require significant investment of resources.
The New York Times April 4, 2021
The confidence, speed and shooting of Aari McDonald

Aari McDonald carried No. 3 seed Arizona to the NCAA tournament final against top-seeded Stanford, beating UConn in the semifinal. "The world is finally noticing what I can do," she said.