University of Arizona in the News

Gizmodo Oct. 19, 2021
After Dune, you'll never think about water the same way again

An article casting Frank Herbert's science fiction novel as a cautionary tale about humanity's relationship with water – both on Earth and beyond – quotes an email from Stefano Nerozzi, a postdoctoral research associate from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, regarding potential human settlement of Mars, a hyper-arid desert by Earth's standards: "Due to the very low atmospheric pressure, water can only exist as vapor or ice near the surface. The atmosphere is extremely dry, containing only a tiny fraction of the water vapor compared to Earth's, far too little to extract any meaningful amount. In fact, water management on a Martian human base will need to be extremely strict to preserve what is likely the most precious resource on the planet–just like a 'sietch' on Arrakis!"
Forbes Oct. 18, 2021
Learning is a sure path to happiness. Science proves it

Plenty of research on happiness suggests it arises when we are generous, grateful and connected with our people. But another lesser-known pathway toward happiness is learning, growing and challenging ourselves in new ways. Thriving tends to occur when we experience success, but also when we are continually developing our skills and capabilities. Learning can also build resilience, because – by definition – learning requires you to realize you don’t already know it all and encourages you to try something new and fill in gaps of information. The 85% rule, validated by research at the University of Arizona, says if you never fail, you won’t be challenged to continue and if you fail too frequently, you will be demotivated.
Arizona Daily Star Oct. 16, 2021
UA researchers seek large, diverse pool for massive aging study

The University of Arizona has been awarded a five-year $60 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to create and lead a Precision Aging Network that could transform the way we think about the aging brain.
Salon Oct. 16, 2021
Monsoons that make deserts bloom are becoming more extreme and erratic thanks to climate change

University of Arizona researchers Christopher L. Castro and Diana Zamora-Reyes write that monsoon prediction is becoming more complicated due to climate change.
KGUN Oct. 15, 2021
UArizona engineering student named an Astronaut Scholar

University of Arizona engineering senior Roberto Peralta was recently named one of 60 Astronaut Scholars nationwide for 2021 – winning access to top engineering mentors and a $15,000 scholarship.
Nature Oct. 15, 2021
First mission to Jupiter's asteroids could reveal Solar System origins

NASA's $981 million Lucy mission is about to begin its 12-year journey to a realm of the outer solar system that has never before been visited: a set of asteroids orbiting the sun near Jupiter. The rocks are "the last unexplored but relatively accessible population of small bodies" circling the sun, says Vishnu Reddy, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona.
ABC News Oct. 15, 2021
Fungal disease on the rise in West possibly tied to changing climate patterns: Experts

While valley fever is historically endemic to the hot and dry southwestern United States, experts are concerned that the fungus may be on the move due to ecologic and environmental changes, among other factors. "There's a bit of seasonality ... it's multifactorial. There's no question there's been a strong, steady increase," said Andrew Comrie, a professor of climatology at the University of Arizona.
Sky & Telescope Oct. 14, 2021
Two impacts, not just one, may have formed the moon

A new study supports the theory the moon coalesced from material blasted into space after a Mars-size body slammed into the proto-Earth more than 4.4 billion years ago. "The standard model for the moon requires a very slow collision, relatively speaking, and it creates a moon that is composed mostly of the impacting planet, not the proto-Earth, which is a major problem since the moon has an isotopic chemistry almost identical to Earth," said lead author Erik Asphaug, professor at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.
WIRED Magazine Oct. 14, 2021
Growing crops under solar panels? Now there's a bright idea

In the new scientific (and literal) field of agrivoltaics, researchers are showing how panels can increase yields and reduce water use on a warming planet. "It is a rare win-win-win," says Greg Barron-Gafford, an earth system scientist at University of Arizona who's studying agrivoltaics. "By growing these crops in the shade of solar arrays, we reduce the amount of that intense sunlight that bakes off the water and stresses out the plant." 
The New York Times Oct. 14, 2021
Newly discovered bat viruses give hints to COVID's origins

Coronaviruses discovered in Laotian bats are surprisingly adept at infecting human cells, showing that such deadly features can indeed evolve outside of a lab. "That really puts to bed any notion that this virus had to have been concocted, or somehow manipulated in a lab, to be so good at infecting humans," said Michael Worobey, a University of Arizona virologist who was not involved in the work.