University of Arizona in the News

Chris Impey, a Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona, writes about whether sound can exist in space.

The University of Arizona rose to No. 1 in Monday's Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll.

University of Arizona researchers led by professor of chemistry and biochemistry Lucy Ziurys used telescopes at the Arizona Radio Observatory and the Institute of Millimetric Radio Astronomy to detect the first traces of phosphorus in the outer reaches of the Milky Way. The presence of an element vital for both life and planet formation in a region without enough matter to form stars sufficiently massive to cause supernovae, raises the possibility that habitable planets exist in areas where astronomers have not discovered them thus far.

A new generation of satellites that directly sense greenhouse gases could trace carbon dioxide emissions in megacities like Los Angeles to different sectors, such as highways, industry and shipping. But ultimately, "these techniques are complementary," said Riley Duren, a remote-sensing scientist at the University of Arizona and CEO of Carbon Mapper, an independent watchdog which next year will launch a pair of satellites designed to spot small plumes of methane and CO2.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week updated its "plant hardiness zone map" for the first time in a decade to account for the effects climate change will have on gardens and yards across the country. "There are a lot of downsides to the warmer winter (temperatures)," said University of Arizona professor of natural resources Theresa Crimmins, who was not involved in creating the map. "When we don't have as cold winter temperatures, we don't have as severe die-backs of insects that carry diseases, like ticks and mosquitoes."

Loving relationships with friends, family and romantic partners are known to be good for mental health. They also can have variety of physical benefits, from pain relief to a longer life. According to researchers at the University of Arizona, thinking of, or being near a romantic partner can lower someone's blood pressure when they're exposed to stress.

The blockbuster movie released in July has boosted California toymaker Mattel's Barbie brand. And while it's been a stalwart on toy store shelves for decades, sales of the doll jumped 25% in July and August compared to the year before and the buzz continued into the colder months. Hope Simpara, a University of Arizona associate professor of practice in fashion industry science and technology, saw Barbie-inspired creations on runways precede the movie release as high fashion often forecasts major cultural trends.

David L. Graizbord, director of the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Arizona, writes that a historian of Jewish identity, he believes that understanding the diversity within Israel is key to understanding Israelis' behavior amid the current war in Gaza, as well as the country's long-term resilience.

One hundred light years away, a handful of planets are circling a star in the same configuration as when they formed. The innermost planet completes one full orbit every nine days. It makes three revolutions around its sun in the same amount of time it takes for the second planet to make exactly two. The same ratio exists between the periods of the second and third planets in the system, along with the third and the fourth. The final two pairs are related by a different ratio: It takes four full orbits of the inner planet for the outer planet to make exactly three.

Footage from the British TV show "Mastermind" gave University of Arizona psychologists a chance to examine human physiology under conditions of stress that would be impossible to reproduce in the lab.