University of Arizona in the News

A new study identifies a second-century drought unmatched in severity by the current drought or previously identified droughts. The research finds that compared to the current 22-year drought in the Colorado River, with only 84% of the average water flow, the water flow during a 22-year period in the second century was much lower, just 68% of the average water flow. "Tree-ring records are sparse back to the second century," said Connie Woodhouse, a professor of geography and development at the University of Arizona and a study co-author.

There is precious little known about how the impacts of school shootings ripple out to children in the rest of the community, state and nation. But there is plenty of research that suggests the trauma of violence in general probably doesn't stop at the specific location where it happened. Evidence suggests there are multiple kinds of indirect trauma, said Jennifer Carlson, a professor of sociology, government and public policy at the University of Arizona.

The polarization of policing has made it politically difficult for firearm restrictions to pass at the federal level. Unlike gun control efforts of the 1990s, American police themselves now broadly opposed any limits on gun ownership. "The assault-weapons ban, it really wasn't supported from the perspective of this is gun control, but rather this is another tool on the war on crime," said University of Arizona professor of sociology Jennifer Carlson. "They see gun control in terms of this war that police see themselves fighting in urban streets."

If you like spice and you've not been acquainted with chiltepin before, there is much to learn about this tiny, incredibly significant chile pepper. It is considered the world's first chile to be domesticated. The University of Arizona notes that the chiltepin was first cultivated around 6,000 to 7,000 years ago.

When Willem de Kooning's "Woman-Ochre" went on display at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles on Tuesday, it was the first time the famous painting had been publicly exhibited since it was brazenly cut from its frame at the University of Arizona Museum of Art by a pair of thieves more than three decades ago. Now, after almost three years of painstaking work by Getty conservators, the damaged de Kooning has been restored and will be on display at the Getty until Aug. 28.

An international team of scientists said Thursday they need more more Chinese data to confirm the source of the worldwide pandemic. University of Arizona professor ecology and evolutionary biology Michael Worobey, who co-authored two papers earlier this year that argued the pandemic originated with a bat-infected wild animal, such as a raccoon or dog, sold at a public market in Wuhan, said it was unfortunate that the WHO team did not look closely at the unpublished research.

Moderna says a new version of its vaccine appears to provide strong protection against the omicron variant. They haven't released detailed data that other scientists have been able to verify. Some say the results appear to be very exciting, assuming the company's claims hold up under further scrutiny. "It sure sounds like the omicron-updated vaccine is working, which is very good news," said University of Arizona professor of immunobiology Deepta Bhattacharya.

University of Arizona athletes posted a 3.082 collective GPA last semester, the second-highest mark for a spring term in athletic department history, as is the athletes' cumulative career GPA of 3.224. More than 65% of all athletes carry GPAs of 3.0 or higher, and 41.4% have GPAs of 3.5 or higher. Arizona's women's golfers carried a record team GPA of 3.821 for the spring semester, the best among all Wildcats teams. The men's cross country team posted a 3.484 GPA, tops among men's teams.

When Willem de Kooning's "Woman-Ochre" went on display at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles on Tuesday, it was the first time the famous painting had been publicly exhibited since it was brazenly cut from its frame at the University of Arizona Museum of Art by a pair of thieves more than three decades ago. Now, after almost three years of painstaking work by Getty conservators, the damaged de Kooning has been restored and will be on display at the Getty until Aug. 28.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta examines gun violence in the U.S. and the physical toll firearms may take on the human body. University of Arizona professor of surgery Dr. Bellal Joseph helped treat nine of the survivors of the mass shooting that targeted U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords back in 2011. "I can tell you from our own data, but also from a national perspective, there's no doubt that ... every trauma center in the country is seeing unprecedented numbers of trauma," he said. "Mass shootings are more prevalent at trauma centers than people actually think.