University of Arizona in the News

This survey of documentary films shown at the South by Southwest festival includes a brief review of "The Thief Collector," which recounts the 1985 theft of Willem de Kooning's "Woman-Ochre" from the University of Arizona Museum of Art. The filmmakers took part in a panel at the University of Arizona's Wonder House.

Every 10 years, astronomers and astrophysicists outline priorities for the hardware they need in the decadal survey on astronomy and astrophysics. Chris Impey, a University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona, writes that the most recent wish list is full of fascinating projects, and it will be exciting to see which get funded and what research will come from them.

A team of astronomers, led by University of Arizona research professor Kate Su of the Steward Observatory, used the Spitzer Space Telescope to spot the first-ever example of a debris cloud orbiting another star caused by the collision of so-called planetesimals, enormous rocky bodies that may eventually form planets.

From East Africa to Mongolia, fences are going up rapidly as livestock farming and border barriers increase. The most famous fence in the United States is the expanded border wall pushed by former President Donald Trump. Intended to prevent illegal immigration, the barrier also keeps wildlife from moving between the United States and Mexico. "The main threat of the border wall is not the localized area of habitat loss and habitat degradation," said Aaron Flesch, a wildlife biologist at the University of Arizona who has studied the wall's impacts.

Federal officials are contemplating ending a seasonal change in our clocks – but evidence suggests moving onto permanent Daylight Saving Time may not be all that beneficial. This story reports on the potential negative effects on people's health. It quotes University of Arizona professor of psychiatry and psychology Michael Grandner, a sleep and health researcher, and member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine: "These clock shifts are relatively minor for most people, but they can actually produce negative consequences, especially in people that are vulnerable.

From East Africa to Mongolia, fences are going up rapidly as livestock farming and border barriers increase. The most famous fence in the United States is the expanded border wall pushed by former President Donald Trump. Intended to prevent illegal immigration, the barrier also keeps wildlife from moving between the United States and Mexico. "The main threat of the border wall is not the localized area of habitat loss and habitat degradation," said Aaron Flesch, a wildlife biologist at the University of Arizona who has studied the wall's impacts.

European colonists brought other livestock to present-day Mexico in the 15th and 16th centuries, domestic pigs and sheep and goats. Now, 500 years later, some of the most iconic Mexican dishes center around meat. But as Mexican cuisine continues to evolve, some longtime omnivores are exploring what Mexican food can taste like without meat, inspired by the desire to improve personal health, fight the climate crisis, advocate for animal welfare, reconnect with their Indigenous heritage — or a combination of those reasons.

University of Arizona chemistry instructor Colleen Kelley developed a series of 10 comic books with graphic artist Mackenzie Reagan to bring chemistry to life for children between the ages of 8 to 12. "Comic books are not like textbooks. They're fun and exciting." said Kelley, who manages the instructional laboratories in the UArizona Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "When I look at molecules, I see them dance. I have come to understand that chemistry can be taught very similarly to the way we teach music, with its symbols, notation and imagery.

State, county and municipal planning for the deadly effects of climate change have largely failed to tackle a silent, deadly and depressingly ordinary killer: heat. That's according to Ladd Keith, a University of Arizona professor of landscape architecture who studies how cities adapt to climate change. Keith is interviewed on that topic.

This story recounts the 1985 theft of Woman-Ochre, by Willem de Kooning from the University of Arizona Museum of Art and the making of the new documentary about the crime, "The Thief Collector," which premiered at this year's South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, where the filmmakers took part in a panel at the University of Arizona Wonder House.