University of Arizona in the News

University of Arizona Distinguished Professor of Astronomy Chris Impey discusses what makes a planet habitable and how learning about exoplanets can teach us more about our own world.

Scientists from the University of Arizona and NASA working at the Johnson Space Center in Houston continue their preliminary analysis and inventory of the asteroid sample collected by the OSIRIS-REx ahead of an official unveiling scheduled for Oct. 11 during a livestreamed news conference. Mission leaders hope the "black dust and debris" will provide insight into the birth of the solar system some 4.5 billion years ago. Meanwhile, the spacecraft, now renamed OSIRIS-APEX, has embarked on a new journey to study the asteroid Apophis.

University of Arizona assistant professor of planning and sustainable built environments Ladd Keith discusses his work helping communities increase their heat resilience in a warming world.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission has successfully delivered a sample of Asteroid Bennu back to Earth.

An asteroid sample collected by NASA has touched down on Earth, giving scientists the opportunity to learn more about the origins of the solar system and capturing a piece of a massive space rock that has a chance of colliding with our planet in the future. It’s the first time the agency has accomplished such a feat.

A new technology called atmospheric water generation extracts moisture from the air to produce water, even in the dry Sonoran Desert. Proponents hope it can provide reliable access to safe drinking water in tribal or remote rural communities or cities suffering from plumbing poverty. Water quality violations are also more common in water systems serving fewer than 3,000 people, according to a graduate research study from the University of Arizona.

Researchers in the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson identified a gene that appears to cause the body to reject biomedical implants, which occurs in 10% to 30% of cases. Assistant professor of surgery Dr. Kellen Chen writes that these findings could lead to the development of truly bio-integrative medical devices that fully integrate with the body for the recipient's entire life span.

On Sunday, NASA's OSIRIS-REx dropped off a capsule containing rocks and dust collected from asteroid Bennu at the Department of Defense Utah Test and Training Range near Salt Lake City. Meanwhile, the spacecraft, now renamed OSIRIS-APEX, embarked on a new journey to study the asteroid Apophis. "Successfully delivering samples from Bennu to Earth is a triumph of collaborative ingenuity and a testament to what we can accomplish when we unite with a common purpose.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission brought back asteroid samples untainted by Earth's atmosphere. Jessica Barnes with the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory is interviewed.

Ice and minerals on the Moon could help humanity travel to distant planets and asteroids. University of Arizona associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering Jekan Thanga, head of the Space and Terrestrial Robotic Exploration Laboratory and the NASA-supported ASTEROIDS laboratory, discusses how lunar resources could speed future space travel and change life on Earth.