University of Arizona in the News

In 2021, engineers from the University of Arizona unveiled ambitious proposals for a solar-powered "lunar ark," – a repository of seeds, sperm and egg samples in a facility built into lava tubes on the Moon – in order to protect Earth's biodiversity from a sudden, cataclysmic event, such as a supervolcanic eruption or major asteroid strike. "Our current civilization is actually quite volatile," said University of Arizona associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering Jekan Thanga, who leads the project.

University of Arizona associate professor of psychology Mary-Frances O'Connor discusses the difficulties of grieving for a loved one during the holidays. "Suddenly, every plan that is in place has a hole in it where that person should be," O'Connor said. "The first time, that hole is most apparent because you have no other way of understanding (for example) what a holiday looks like" without that person in it.

Genetically designed to be pest resistant, Bt crops keep many bugs at bay and have drastically reduced the use of pesticides in agricultural operations worldwide. But they may not be working as well as they used to. When University of Arizona professor of entomology Bruce Tabashnik reviewed 25 years of data on corn, sugarcane, cotton, soybeans, and other Bt crops from seven countries, he found signs that populations of 11 pest species have evolved substantial resistance to the proteins.

University of Arizona aerospace engineering graduate researcher Maanyaa Kapur and materials science and aerospace engineering major Zach Purdie served as NASA interns and members of the sample analysis team on the OSIRIS-REx mission, which returned NASA's first ever asteroid sample to earth. Their work to determine the makeup of the material collected from the asteroid Bennu could come in handy if the space rock ever ends up on a collision course with Earth. "Sometime in the very very far future, they think that Bennu could be on a path to collide with Earth.

A new study shows how a team at the University of Arizona's Space4 Center tracked down a contested piece of space junk that crashed onto the moon and provides an explanation for why it left not one but two craters.

The five-year-old Indigenous Teacher Education Program in the University of Arizona College of Education trains teachers how to support students in Tribal communities while increasing the number of skilled Indigenous teachers in Arizona.

University of Arizona professor Kacy Ernst, chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, attended the rollout Wednesday of the fifth National Climate Assessment in Washington, D.C. The release of the report coincides with President Biden's announcement of billions of dollars for climate resilience. "I think it's really exciting to hear there are more resources going to this," she said. "Shoring up some of this infrastructure to have more resilient communities is absolutely essential."

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific on Saturday recognized the achievements of University of Arizona Regents Professor of Astronomy Marcia Rieke, presenting the principal investigator for the James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera with its most prestigious award, the Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal, at the ASP Awards Gala in Redwood City, California. "I owe a debt of gratitude to my team that made all this possible. I am humbled that I'm on a list that includes the founders of infrared astronomy, Gerry Neugebauer and Frank Low," said Rieke.

Olivia Miller, director and curator of exhibitions at the University of Arizona Museum of Art, discusses the planning and construction of a new museum, planned to open in Spring 2027.

A new report from the World Resources Institute and other environmental watchdogs finds the international community lacking in 41 of 42 criteria required to mitigate the worst of global warming, and even heading in the wrong direction in six crucial areas. The lone bright spot: Global sales of electric passenger vehicles appear on track to match what's needed.