University of Arizona in the News

Agrivoltaics – a renewable energy approach that shares agricultural land with solar panels – is a powerful way forward in energy innovation and could help reduce agriculture's impact on climate change. Researchers are still working out which plants and animal relationships experience the most benefit from AV systems. A study from the University of Arizona found crops that grow well in partial shade – like sweet potatoes, lettuce, alfalfas, kale and chard – respond best. So far, shade-resistant crops like wheat and crops grown in greenhouses have not responded well.

Orbital observations of Mars reveal the presence of an enormous mantle plume pushing the surface of the planet upward and driving intense volcanic and seismic activity. "Our study presents multiple lines of evidence that reveal the presence of a giant active mantle plume on present-day Mars," said Adrien Broquet, a postdoctoral research associate in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and co-author of the study with Jeff Andrews-Hanna, an associate professor of planetary science at the LPL.

In a National Science Foundation video, University of Arizona professor of astronomy Chris Impey explains most of the elements that make up the Earth, humans, and all living creatures were formed in powerful stellar explosions.

This preview of upcoming exhibits at the National Museum of Natural History recommends readers who visit attend "Our Places" by Kelsey Hanson, an anthropological archaeologist at the University of Arizona, to learn about the ancient and complex techniques Indigenous people of the desert Southwest. During this presentation, Hanson will dive into how natural pigments are reflections of creators and their environments and share her research using the circulation of paint technology to understand changing power relations.

During the White House Tribal Nations Summit this week, the Biden administration made new commitments on something Native leaders have been pushing for for a long time: tribal co-management of public lands, such as national parks and forests. Indigenous people whose ancestral land is now federally managed didn't just hand over their territory in the 19th century, according to Andrew Curley, a professor of geography at the University of Arizona. "A lot of it historically has been through violent removal of Indian nations from their traditional home bases, he said.

University of Arizona professor of atmospheric sciences Xubin Zeng's forecast for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season came very close to the target. Zeng's model predicted 14 named storms and seven hurricanes to develop over the Atlantic Ocean, with three classified as major. At the official end of the season the numbers were 14, eight and two, respectively.

University of Arizona associate professor of psychology Mary-Frances O'Connor, author of "The Grieving Brain," joins a panel discussion of grief, coping and how to find support.

Fossils of a tiny sea creature that died more than half a billion years ago may compel a science textbook rewrite of how brains evolved. A study published in Science, led by University of Arizona Regents Professor of Neuroscience Nicholas Strausfeld, provides the first detailed description of Cardiodictyon catenulum, a wormlike animal preserved in rocks in China’s southern Yunnan province. "To our knowledge, this is the oldest fossilized brain we know of, so far," Strausfeld said.

The James Webb Space Telescope got the best look yet at WASP-39b, a Saturn-sized planet that orbits closer to its star than Mercury does to our sun. The Near-Infrared Camera – designed by a team led by University of Arizona Regents Professor of Astronomy Marcia Rieke – revealed a previously unidentified molecule in the exoplanet's atmosphere to be sulfur dioxide. Megan Mansfield, a NASA Sagan Fellow at Steward Observatory, called it an exciting find.

New research claims at least 50 turtle species vocalize, along with several other types of cold-blooded vertebrates previously assumed to be silent. However, establishing that the sounds are actually meaningful communication will require more research according to University of Arizona professor of ecology and evolutionary biology John Wiens.