University of Arizona in the News

A team of students co-led by University of Arizona planetary science associate professor Vishnu Reddy studied asteroids 1986 DA and 2016 ED85 and discovered that their spectral signatures are quite similar to asteroid 16 Psyche, the largest metal-rich body in the solar system.

A profile of Biosphere 2, the University of Arizona-operated controlled environment facility in Oracle, examines how it is "living up to its potential as a site for novel and risky research."

The University of Arizona is a hub of biosciences activity in the region, not just in learning, but in producing solutions that make their way to market and impact society.

An article examining tests used in a cross-species study of intelligence cites research conducted by Evan MacLean, director of the Arizona Canine Cognition Center at the University of Arizona

A roundup of recommended tourist activities in the Southwestern U.S. includes stargazing at the University of Arizona’s Mount Lemmon SkyCenter and quotes director Alan L. Straus, saying the dry climate in Arizona "makes the atmosphere more transparent and easier to see out of. October and November are generally very dry when they put on a show."

A new study, led by University of Arizona postdoctoral fellow Matthew Osman predicts that by 2060, the Jet Stream  – a band of wind that separates cold Arctic air from warmer air to the south – is moving north, out of position, due to climate change, which could cause more droughts and heat waves in southern Europe and the eastern US. "The onset of the jet stream's northward migration may have already begun," Osman said.

A breakdown of President Biden's $3.5 trillion infrastructure plan cites the expertise of Price Fishback, a professor at the University of Arizona who studies New Deal political economy. Fishback said compared to the 3.6% of GDP social-welfare spending accounted for under FDR or the  7.4% of the Nixon-era, Biden's plan is modest. "This is a pretty hefty slug of money," Fishback said of Build Back Better. "(But) it doesn’t look like a big budget buster."

Cities across the U.S. Southwest hit impressive rainfall totals this summer, bringing much-needed – but temporary – relief to a region that has been mired in drought. "It just kept going," said Mike Crimmins, a climatologist at the University of Arizona. "It was pretty epic, especially for the lower desert areas of Arizona from Tucson to Phoenix and out toward Yuma."

The family of Walmart founder Sam Walton has donated money to foundations run by the University of Colorado and the University of Arizona, among other universities. "A University of Arizona spokeswoman said that while it has received funding from other groups for its Colorado River program in the last four years, the largest source was the Walton foundation."

A timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic quotes University of Arizona evolutionary biologist Michael Worobey as saying there were "so many more opportunities for non-research-connected activity to bring these viruses" to Wuhan, such as via China's robust wildlife trade.