University of Arizona in the News

California mineral and gem collector Hubert de Monmonier bequeathed almost 900 geological specimens to the University of Arizona Gem and Mineral Museum as part of his will.

Researchers led by University of Arizona research professor emeritus of dendrochronology Ramzi Touchan recently identified the oldest olive tree in the world, a gnarled behemoth in Northern Lebanon that measures roughly 14 feet in diameter that they determined to be more than 1,100 years old.

University of Arizona professor emeritus of anthropology Vance Holliday is one of many researchers to cast doubt on the Younger Dryas Impact hypothesis – the notion that 12,900 years ago, a comet, or possibly more than one, struck the Earth and irrevocably changed the climate and the course of human history.

At 2 a.m. on Sunday, most people in the United States will "spring" their clocks forward by one hour for Daylight Saving Time, potentially losing an hour's sleep in the process. To make the transition a little less painful, University of Arizona associate professor of psychiatry Michael Grandner recommends people who observe DST make it a priority to get good sleep – seven or more hours at a stretch – for at least a few nights before the clock change. That way, "you're coming from a place of strength," not sleep deprivation.

Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy, suggests the U.S. follow Mexico's lead and do away with Daylight Saving Time. "Having that sense of permanence and not flip-flopping is a good thing," said Parthasarathy, a professor of medicine. "The feeling is (Mexico) got there before we did."

Digital reference library DataReportal in January released its annual Global Overview Report, revealing internet users ages 16 to 64 spend an average 6 hours, 40 minutes daily surfing the web on any device. That's about 47 hours a week and 101 days a year. All told, that's more than 17 years over the course of a lifetime beginning at age 18. However, University of Arizona associate professor of communication Matthew Lapierre suggests how someone uses their screen time is more important than how much they are exposed to it.

A biotech company that hopes to resurrect extinct species said Wednesday it has reached an important milestone: the creation of a long-sought kind of stem cell for the closest living relative of the woolly mammoth. Many scientists, including University of Arizona professor of geoscience Karl Flessa, question the idea of trying to revive extinct animals. "What are you going to get out of this?" he asked. "First of all, I think you're going to get a bit of a freak show in a zoo somewhere.

Two University of Arizona alumnae, Christina Birch and Jessica Wittner, graduated from NASA astronaut training Tuesday at the Johnson Space Center. Birch, who graduated from the university in 2008 with a bachelor's in biochemistry and mathematics, is a track cyclist on the U.S. national team who grew up in Gilbert. She also holds a doctorate in biological engineering from MIT and has taught bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside, and scientific writing and communication at the California Institute of Technology.

The University of Arizona wheelchair basketball team on Friday retired the jersey of Rudy Gallego, one of the first members of the university's adaptive athletics program. Gallego, who passed away in November 2023, will join the Adaptive Athletics Hall of Fame in April.

The MethaneSAT satellite will monitor areas that supply 80% of the world's natural gas. Unlike other methane tracking satellites, it will cover a vast territory while also gathering data detailed enough to spot specific sources of emissions. Another satellite, designed by NASA and a greenhouse gas tracking nonprofit called Carbon Mapper, is set to launch this year.