University of Arizona in the News

Environmental Health News Wednesday
Opinion: Restoring our waters is restoring ourselves

JoRee LaFrance, a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona studying the Little Bighorn River watershed, writes about the use of water quality research to bring healing and sovereignty to the Apsáalooke.
Sports Illustrated Wednesday
College football's biggest names land in D.C. for talks on athlete compensation

Lawmakers, conference commissioners, NCAA President Charlie Baker, coaches and athletics directors will be at The Future of College Athletics summit, hosted by the University of Arizona.
The Hill Tuesday
How respect for civil discourse led to respect for marriage equality

Timothy J. Shaffer, the SNF chair of civil discourse at the Biden School for Public Policy and Administration and director of civic engagement and deliberative democracy with the National Institute for Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona, writes that as we celebrate Pride Month, it is worth recognizing this historic law not just for the dignity and respect for LGBTQ+ people it enshrined, but also for its somewhat undersung significance as a shining example of democratic civil discourse in action.
The New York Times Tuesday
The Grand Canyon, a cathedral to time, is losing its river

As the planet warms, low snow is starving the river at its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains, and higher temperatures are pilfering more of the Colorado River through evaporation. The seven states that draw on the river are using just about every drop it can provide, and while a wet winter and a recent deal between states have staved off its collapse for now, its long-term health remains in deep doubt. Drought and low water aside, there is another aspect of the canyon's future that worries Victor R. Baker, a geologist at the University of Arizona. Baker has spent four decades exploring alcoves, high ledges and tributary mouths in the Colorado Basin. He scours them for the very particular patterns of sand and silt left by giant floods. The stories they tell are startling.
Nature Monday
JWST spots the most distant 'smoke' molecules ever seen in space

Tangles of huge organic molecules are drifting through a faraway galaxy, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered. Scientists have never spotted such molecules so far from Earth, and their presence suggests that their host galaxy was busy creating stars early in the history of the Universe. Feeding off that energy, the molecules grow large and eventually resemble smoke or soot particles floating in space. They help to regulate how gas within galaxies is heated and cooled, and thus help to control how new stars are born, says Stacey Alberts, an astronomer at the University of Arizona.
The Hill June 3, 2023
Arizona seeks to avert groundwater disaster

Last week Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Water Resources announced that overuse and the on-going drought mean some 4.9 million acre-feet of water will not be available to meet demand. As a result, new construction that requires the use of groundwater will be halted in the Phoenix metro area. If that move proves insufficient state officials have other options, according to Katherine Jacobs, director of the Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions at the University of Arizona. For example, she said, they can explore options like bringing in water from western Arizona, bargaining with Native American tribes for water rights or treating municipal wastewater. Jacobs called the move "a very farsighted decision," adding it essentially means that the groundwater program "is working, and that is really heartening."
PBS June 2, 2023
How Little Richard fought to be the architect of rock 'n' roll

Tyina Steptoe, an associate professor of history at the University of Arizona, writes about the impact Little Richard had on the history of rock and roll.
Popular Science June 2, 2023
You're probably not washing your water bottle often enough

Many different types of bacteria, mold, and fungi can make an appearance in reusable water bottles, and many of those microbes come from the bottles' owners. University of Arizona professor of virology Charles Gerba explains how best to sanitize bottles correctly.
CNN June 2, 2023
Scientists 'stunned' by mysterious structures found in the Milky Way

An international team of astrophysicists this week announced the discovery of hundreds of horizontal or radial filaments – slender, elongated bodies of luminous gas – that potentially originated a few million years ago when outflow from Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way galaxy, interacted with surrounding materials. The filaments are relatively short in length, each measuring 5 to 10 light-years. "(Sagittarius A*) is the closest supermassive black hole to us, but it’s relatively quiet and therefore somewhat difficult to really study," said University of Arizona assistant professor of astronomy Erika Hamden, who wasn't involved in the study. "But this work provides evidence that it was recently ejecting quite a lot of energy into space in the form of a jet and conical outflow."
NPR June 2, 2023
Science Friday: Southwestern states break the dam on water stalemate

After intense pressure from the federal government, Arizona, California and Nevada last month presented a plan to cut their use of Colorado River water by 3 million acre-feet through 2026 – about 10% of their total combined allocation. The federal government plans to spend $1.2 billion to pay water users for the cuts. Sharon Megdal, director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, examines the agreement and discusses its implications for the region.