University of Arizona in the News

Many different types of bacteria, mold, and fungi can make an appearance in reusable water bottles, and many of those microbes come from the bottles' owners. University of Arizona professor of virology Charles Gerba explains how best to sanitize bottles correctly.

While evidence exists that Earth showed signs of a general cooling trend over the 4,000 years preceding the Industrial Revolution, other data suggest the planet had been getting warmer over that same time period. Ellie Broadman, a researcher in the University of Arizona Tree Ring Lab who recently co-authored a review of paleoclimate temperatures, estimates a mild cooling trend driven by "slight variations in the Earth's orbit around the sun" began about 6,500 years ago.

The University of Arizona received $3 million in federal funding to create Project ADELANTE – Advancing Culturally Responsive Place-Based Educational Opportunities for Latinx Students in the Borderlands – which will provide academic support and career readiness programs for Hispanic and low-income students.

Baby animals are adorable, and when we see one that appears to be in trouble, it's not surprising we want to help. But a seemingly abandoned baby rabbit, a lonely fawn in the woods, or a struggling bison calf in a national park may not actually need human assistance. "Our brains­ – and those of many species – are specifically wired to want to help babies and keep them safe," said University of Arizona associate professor of natural resources and the environment Jennifer Verdolin, an animal behavior researcher.

This week, the James Webb Space Telescope got the best look yet at the ultra-hot gas giant WASP-18 b, an exoplanet 10 times more massive than Jupiter some 400 light years away.

There is not enough groundwater underneath the Phoenix metropolitan area to meet projected demands over the next century, according to an analysis released Thursday. However, the gradual transition from agriculture to urban development comes with a degree of water savings as thirsty farms go out of production. "We have to grow responsibly," said Sharon Megdal, director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. "What these models are suggesting is the patterns of growth may change.

Alejandro Nava, a professor of religious studies at the University of Arizona, writes that throughout the history of hip-hop, Latinos' experiences have been important threads in this music's cries for justice.

The James Webb Space Telescope this month released new views of the bright star Fomalhaut that provide the first conclusive evidence of an asteroid belt in a star system outside our own. "It's complex – there's so much going on!" said Andras Gaspar, an astronomer at the University of Arizona.

City leaders across the U.S. are still in the early stages of figuring out how to properly prepare for more frequent, more intense heat waves as climate change takes hold in the years ahead. University of Arizona assistant professor of planning and sustainable built environments Ladd Keith discusses whether municipalities from coast-to-coast need to hire chief heat officers and what they can do this summer to protect residents from blistering temperatures. "Not every community can afford to have a full-time chief heat officer," Keith said.

John Streicher, an associate professor of pharmacology at the University of Arizona, writes about the ways in which researchers are trying to design drugs that deliver effective pain relief without the risk of side effects, including addiction and overdose.