University of Arizona in the News

Asteroid Bennu, the target of NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, led by the University of Arizona, kept surprising the mission team while the spacecraft studied the asteroid from a distance. The biggest surprise, however, came when OSIRIS-REx swooped in to grab a sample of material from Bennu and encountered not a solid surface but one that gave way so easily the sampler arm sank 1 1/2 feet into it within seconds.

With the James Webb Space Telescope on the brink of releasing its first full-color images and data, astronomers are about to take a chance on a long-shot search for an exoplanet orbiting one of our closest stellar neighbors. Last year, a team of astronomers led by University of Arizona astronomer Kevin Wagner announced that they had spotted a bright dot of infrared light in orbit around Alpha Centauri A.

A growing number of cities hope to offset the effects of higher temperatures on their communities. University of Arizona assistant professor of planning and sustainable-built environments Ladd Keith discusses his research exploring how communities can incorporate heat-resilience strategies into their infrastructure planning in order to better mitigate the effect rising temperatures, and the guidebook he developed to help communities plan for a warmer future.

This profile of actress Rhea Seehorn, who plays Kim Wexler on the popular TV drama "Better Call Saul," mentions the interview took place at the Getty Center in Los Angeles during the opening week of the exhibition for the newly restored Willem de Kooning painting, "Woman-Ochre," which had been stolen from the University of Arizona Museum of Art in 1985.

The American Academy Of Pediatrics is calling for support for breastfeeding for two years or more. Some are applauding the change, but experts say many moms feel defeated and dismayed. "For women who are not able to breastfeed or pump breastmilk for myriad reasons, now being told that they should strive to breastfeed or pump for even longer is going to further the endless cycle of guilt that they may already feel for not being able to fulfill this element of being a mother," said organizational psychologist Allison S.

A new study in the journal Science from University of Arizona Regents Professor of Planetary Sciences Dante Lauretta shows samples collected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft indicate the surface asteroid Bennu consists of "low-cohesion rubble." Lauretta and colleagues report the mission collected about 250 grams, or 9 ounces, of material, which will return to Earth for laboratory analysis in 2023.

The first gun law passed in the U.S. in decades marks a major step forward in the national effort to curb gun violence. University of Arizona associate clinical assistant professor of psychiatry Joel Dvoskin joins a panel of researchers who shared their assessments of whether the bill’s key provisions will stem the rising number of gun deaths in the U.S.

In April 2021, NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter took flight and opened up a new era of off-the-ground exploration on the Red Planet. A team led by engineers at the University of Arizona wants to fly even higher with an ambitious concept for a motorless sailplane that could soar above the Martian surface. A new paper details a preliminary design for the craft which would be equipped with sensors and cameras and use wind energy to fly for hours or even days.

An effort is underway to create Arizona's first citizen-initiated groundwater management area. According to Susanna Eden of the University of Arizona's Water Resources Research Center, state law requires each management area to produce a conservation plan every 10 years, and there are rules about the volume of water groundwater users can pump.

Experts say heat is the top weather-related killer. On average, more people in the U.S. die from extreme heat than any other severe weather event, including tornadoes, hurricanes and flooding combined, according to the National Weather Service.