University of Arizona in the News

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.

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.

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.

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.

University of Arizona scientists have been monitoring the saguaro population since the 1960s, but recent counts found a record low number of new cacti. Peter Breslin, a postdoctoral researcher at the university's Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, discusses why the icon of the Sonoran Desert may be in decline.

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.

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.

There is not enough groundwater underneath the Phoenix metropolitan area to meet projected demands over the next century, according to an analysis released Thursday. However, the gradual transition from agriculture to urban development comes with a degree of water savings as thirsty farms go out of production. "We have to grow responsibly," said Sharon Megdal, director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. "What these models are suggesting is the patterns of growth may change.

While evidence exists that Earth showed signs of a general cooling trend over the 4,000 years preceding the Industrial Revolution, other data suggest the planet had been getting warmer over that same time period. Ellie Broadman, a researcher in the University of Arizona Tree Ring Lab who recently co-authored a review of paleoclimate temperatures, estimates a mild cooling trend driven by "slight variations in the Earth's orbit around the sun" began about 6,500 years ago.

The University of Arizona received $3 million in federal funding to create Project ADELANTE – Advancing Culturally Responsive Place-Based Educational Opportunities for Latinx Students in the Borderlands – which will provide academic support and career readiness programs for Hispanic and low-income students.