University of Arizona in the News

A team led by University of Arizona astronomers used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to observe Fomalhaut, a young star about 25 light-years from Earth, with the first asteroid belt ever seen outside of our solar system in infrared light. An image shows nested concentric rings of dust, some of which had never been seen before, most likely are carved by the gravitational forces produced by unseen planets.

Assisted living facilities and nursing homes are supposed to keep residents safe, but hundreds of seniors contend with violence at the ends of their lives. Dementia is often blamed for altercations, but that is not because all people with dementia are inherently aggressive. They may act out when frightened, confused or in pain. Some hurt others because of behavioral problems that facilities are not equipped to manage. "It is stressful, it's often thankless and there is often a high turnover of these underpaid positions," said Dr.

In anticipation of the University of Arizona-led OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample delivery this fall, the team last month held its first round of practice at retrieving the spacecraft's sample capsule from a simulated landing site at the Lockheed Martin campus near Denver. The real-life retrieval will take place Sep. 24 on the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range outside Salt Lake City.

In this guest column, University of Arizona laureate professor of linguistics Noam Chomsky, and two colleagues, write that humanity's "supposedly revolutionary advancements in artificial intelligence are indeed cause for both concern and optimism. Optimism because intelligence is the means by which we solve problems. Concern because we fear that the most popular and fashionable strain of AI – machine learning – will degrade our science and debase our ethics by incorporating into our technology a fundamentally flawed conception of language and knowledge."

A team led by University of Arizona astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe Fomalhaut, a young star about 25 light-years from Earth, which has the first asteroid belt ever seen outside of our solar system in infrared light. An image shows nested concentric rings of dust, some of which had never been seen before, most likely are carved by the gravitational forces produced by unseen planets.

The Chhieu family will have three college graduates in the household this week as brothers Harry and Anthony receive their University of Arizona diplomas – in mechanical engineering and criminal justice, respectively – alongside their 57-year-old mother Carol Kay, an education major who immigrated to the U.S. from Cambodia at age 15 and successfully raised her children by herself.

Grief is an intense emotional experience. Some researchers believe a better understanding of the biological effects of loss on the brain could be used to help ease the pain and yearning experienced in grieving. The bonds we form with one another take biological forms in the brain and its reward systems are activated by these relationships, motivating us to maintain those relationships and reunite with loved ones regularly.

Ecologist Sharon Collinge, director of the Arizona Institute for Resilient Environments and Societies at the University of Arizona, discusses the "extreme lifestyle" of creatures that inhabit vernal pools – a type of ephemeral wetland habitat that is there one month, gone the next.

Many factors contribute to the development of today's water crises, including changing land cover and use, urban infrastructure maintenance, and climate change, according to Adriana Zuniga-Teran, neighborhood design and environmental sciences expert and assistant professor of geography, development, and environment at the University of Arizona.

University of Arizona Distinguished Professor of Astronomy Chris Impey writes in support of the use of artificial intelligence to help astronomers unlock the secrets of the universe.