University of Arizona in the News

Gregory Leonard, a research scientist at the University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey, offers advice to amateur stargazers and explains the process of reporting to NASA asteroids that might collide with Earth.

A newly discovered saber-toothed cat-like predator that hunted in the forests and coastal areas of Southern California 42 million years ago has been given the name Diegoaelurus, or "San Diego's cat," the San Diego Natural History Museum announced today. The discovery was described in a research paper co-written by Shawn Zack at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – and other scientists who gave the new species its name.

Forests around the world pull carbon out of the atmosphere and are crucial in the global fight to stem climate change. But figuring out how much carbon forests are storing as the planet heats up is tricky. A team of international researchers has published a study that puts forth a solution for acquiring these data: gather tree ring cores from live trees in national forests. "Tree rings really have this remarkable annual resolution data," said Margaret Evans, a dendrochronologist at the University of Arizona's Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research who co-led the study.

Vladimir Putin's regime uses a portfolio of digital tools to control information and crack down on protests within the country. In this Q&A, University of Arizona professor of sociology Jennifer Earl explains what she found in a review of 192 studies of digital repression she co-authored for the journal Science Advances, and discusses the different forms digital repression can take and whether Russia's attempts to construct an alternate reality will succeed.

"The Thief Collector," a documentary about the theft and subsequent return of Willem de Kooning's "Woman-Ochre" from the University of Arizona Museum of Art, premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival.

The University of Arizona men's basketball team was named the NCAA Tournament's No. 2 overall team and placed as the No. 1 seed in the South Region, with an opening game on Friday in San Diego. The Wildcats will face the winner of a First Four game between Wright State and Bryant.

The University of Arizona women's basketball team was selected as a No. 4 seed in the Greensboro Region, meaning they will host the round of 64 and round of 32 games at McKale Center. The fourth-seeded Cats face No. 13 UNLV in Tucson on Saturday. If Arizona can advance, they will play the winner of No. 5 North Carolina-No. 12 Stephen F. Austin on March 21.

University of Arizona Regents Professor Dr. Marvin Slepian writes that we must act in support of Ukraine with dynamic, substantive and forceful actions beyond economic and humanitarian. Cosigners of this guest opinion column include Victor R. Baker, Carol Bender, Karletta Chief, Albrecht Classen, Andrew S. Cohen, Victor J. Hruby, Mark Nichter, Joellen L. Russell, Farhang Shadman, Peter Strittmatter, Nicholas Strausfeld, Mary C. Stiner, and Lucy M. Ziurys.

This story reports on the challenges faced by low-income students and the services available to them at the University of Arizona, such as the Campus Pantry, which opened as a small student-led initiative in 2012 serving about 30 people a month. It now provides free groceries and other resources, such as toilet paper and toothpaste, for more than 2,000 students and employees a month.

"The Thief Collector" is a new documentary that tells the story of the theft of Woman-Ochre, by Willem de Kooning, stolen in 1985 from the University of Arizona Museum of Art and unknowingly found in 2017 at an estate sale. The film will premiere at this year's South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. The filmmakers will take part in a panel at the Wonder House on Saturday at 7 p.m.