University of Arizona in the News

The widely studied metallic asteroid known as 16 Psyche was long thought to be the exposed iron core of a small planet that failed to form during the earliest days of the solar system. But new University of Arizona-led research by David Cantillo suggests that the asteroid might not be as metallic or dense as once thought, and hints at a much different origin story.

The U.S. is now averaging more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases daily. The former head of the FDA warns that numbers could become higher as the new school year kicks off. Dr. Shad Marvasti, a family medicine physician and associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, is interviewed.

The growing number of severe heatwaves, droughts, floods and wildfires that have plagued the U.S. and other countries over the last several years are almost certainly a direct result of human greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of hundreds of the world’s top scientists, convened by the United Nations.

The University of Arizona's Steward Observatory is mentioned in this story about the James Webb Space Telescope.

Keith Allred, executive director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona, writes that, "(a)lthough the evidence confirms that congressional polarization is at record highs, everyday Republicans and Democrats still agree on many issues."

Motivated by concerns about future rare earth metal supply shortages as well as the environmental toll of rare earth mining, which casts a cloud over their green credentials, tech companies, along with partners in academia and government, are exploring whether they can mine hard drives instead, through recycling. "Hard drive magnets are important because they contain neodymium and dysprosium, which are essential for electric vehicles and wind turbines," said Hongyue Jin, a scientist at the University of Arizona who studies rare earth recycling.

Worried about a vulnerable population as the Delta variant surges, the Food and Drug Administration took a new tack, speeding efforts to authorize extra doses of coronavirus vaccines for Americans with weakened immune systems. Boosters may help some, but others may show little improvement, and still others may not need extra doses at all. In a study of organ transplant recipients, only a third of the patients who received a third dose showed a benefit.

Guild Education CEO Rachel Carlson discusses the importance of having "Hispanic serving institutions like the University of Arizona, who specialize in thinking about various populations that need upskilling and resourcing."

Coming to IT from the field of archaeology about 20 years ago, the University of Arizona's chief information security officer Lanita Collette has prioritized human-centered organization, training and effective management in cybersecurity.

A new study finds that the proportion of people living in flood zones has grown dramatically, and could be the "tip of the iceberg." "People die and lose their homes and livelihood," said Beth Tellman, a human-environmental geographer at the University of Arizona and lead author of the paper, published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The study estimates that up to 86 million people have moved into places where there have been floods.