University of Arizona in the News

The Associated Press April 19, 2021
More migrants dying since push into remote, hostile regions

Migrants trekking across the Arizona borderlands have died at higher rates in the past two decades since stepped up enforcement began funneling them into remote, hostile desert and mountain regions, a sweeping new analysis concluded Monday. The report by the University of Arizona Binational Migration Institute provides a multidiscipline look at migrant border death investigations in Arizona over 30 years.
EdSurge April 19, 2021
The rise of Hispanic-Serving Institutions and the path forward

Mordecai I. Brownlee, the vice president of student success at St. Philip's College in San Antonio, Texas, writes that through institutional commitment like that of model institutions such as the University of Arizona, Hispanic Serving Institutions will be best positioned to realize student success and help their students achieve the dream of economic mobility. "Among four-year institutions, the University of Arizona—a 2019 Seal of Excelencia winner and an Outstanding Member Institution of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities—has embodied such commitment with its Hispanic Serving Institutes Initiatives. Through an array of programs, the University of Arizona has supported the advancement of inclusive best practices on a national scale," Brownlee writes.
The Conversation April 19, 2021
Interstate water wars are heating up along with the climate

Robert Glennon, Regents Professor and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, writes that climate stresses are raising the stakes for interstate water disputes.
FiveThirtyEight April 15, 2021
Few Americans who identify as independent are actually independent. That's really bad for politics.

Roughly 75% independents still lean toward one of the two major political parties, and studies show that these voters aren't all that different from the voters in the party they lean toward. Independents who lean toward a party also tend to back that party at almost the same rate as openly partisan voters. "Independents tend not to look all that different from partisans," said Samara Klar, a political scientist at the University of Arizona and co-author of the book "Independent Politics." "But they do tend to be more averse to identifying themselves as a partisan when there is a negative stigma associated with partisanship. So, it's really the arguments, the hostility, the negativity that seems to be driving this behavior."
Los Angeles Times April 15, 2021
COVID-19 gave us 'skin hunger' and 'touch deprivation.' We’re fighting back with hugs

As more Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19, reunions among loved ones are becoming increasingly frequent and, for many, hugging is the main event. Most humans crave physical touch from friends and family and feel they need it to maintain their close relationships, experts say. Hugs are a way of saying hello, offering support, asking for love, sharing joy and communicating emotions that may not be neatly translated into words. "There's a lot more going on than, 'Let me just put my arms around you for a second or two,'" said Kory Floyd, a University of Arizona professor who studies how affection is communicated in close relationships. "In times like this, that message can be, 'I really missed you.'"
Los Angeles Times April 15, 2021
California enlists surveillance satellites to sniff out greenhouse gas 'super-emitters'

In a first-of-its-kind coalition to accelerate climate change action, and with help from University of Arizona researchers, a new nonprofit organization called Carbon Mapper is launching a program to improve scientific understanding of global methane and carbon dioxide emissions.
NPR April 14, 2021
A year in, here's what we know about vitamin D for preventing COVID

When the pandemic hit, many Americans turned to vitamins and supplements in hopes of boosting their immune systems. Scientists also raced to study them. Vitamin D, perhaps more than any other, captured the attention of researchers. There are now quite a few observational studies and large reviews of the available evidence that show low vitamin D levels are associated with higher risks of contracting COVID-19 or with becoming seriously ill. "What is clear from a number of studies is that there's a strong relationship in terms of your levels prior to infection," says Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.
BBC April 13, 2021
The global fight against snake bites

Venomous snake bites are responsible for 138,000 deaths every year around the world. Experts are exploring some disarmingly simple interventions help to save lives. "Snake bites are a far bigger problem than many people realize," said Leslie Boyer, founding director of the Venom Immunochemistry, Pharmacology and Emergency Response Institute at the University of Arizona. The World Health Organization considers snake bites to be such a burden on some communities that they recently classified snake bite envenomation – where venom is injected by a bite – as a neglected tropical disease.
The Wall Street Journal April 12, 2021
How long do COVID-19 vaccines provide immunity?

COVID-19 vaccines will likely provide at least some degree of protection for a long time because there are so many layers of immunity, said Deepta Bhattacharya, an associate professor of immunobiology at the University of Arizona. The first shots of the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provide reasonable protection. Then the second shot bumps up the level of antibodies and T cells produced by the body, he said. T cells are white blood cells that destroy cells infected by viruses. There's "a lot of room to decline and still be protected," he said.

The New Yorker April 12, 2021
The moms who are battling climate change

A group of climate scientists who are mothers are using their scientific and maternal experiences to help demystify climate change and bring scientific facts into homes across the country. JoellenRussell, a member of Science Moms and climate scientist at the University of Arizona, said the group is focusing on providing simple, straightforward information that breaks down climate change science into a more digestible size.