News archives

Domoic acid producing Pseudo-nitzschia diatom in seawater sample. Image:  G. Jason Smith / Moss Landing Marine Labs. Satellite image shows increasing chlorophyll concentration at California coast. Image: Mati Kahru

Scientists Discover Molecular Predictors of Toxic Algal Blooms

Genes that act as warning beacon for dangerous neurotoxin identified

Jeffrey Gordon headshot

Scripps Oceanography Selects Microbiome Researcher Jeffrey I. Gordon as 2024 Nierenberg Prize Recipient

The public is invited to attend Jeffrey I. Gordon’s free presentation at the Great Hall at UC San Diego on Oct. 11

dead fish in lake granary

Largest Protein Yet Discovered Builds Algal Toxins

The findings could enhance monitoring efforts for harmful algal blooms, and unlock potential for new medicines or materials

Technician runs an assay of the guanitoxin test material. Photo: Diagnostic Technology

Patent Filed for Novel Method to Detect Toxin in Fresh Water

Test kits now available to identify lethal neurotoxin-producing cyanobacteria

CTD instrument on a ship

Study Illuminates Previously Unknown Ocean Mercury Pathway

Team describes source of the heavy metal that poses a danger to human health

A Scientist’s Life: Clarissa Anderson

Biological oceanographer predicts ocean hazards and creates a more informed public

sea urchins

UC San Diego Receives $7.35 million for Scripps Center for Oceans and Human Health

Center will focus on advancing science of marine contaminants, nutrients and seafood security in a changing climate

Katalin Karikó in the lab

Nierenberg Prize Awarded to Biochemist Katalin Karikó for Pioneering Research on COVID-19 Vaccines

The public is invited to attend Nobel Prize winner Katalin Karikó’s free lecture at Scripps Institution of Oceanography on March 25

Fire bears down on Los Angeles. Photo: ekash/istockphoto

Extreme Heat, Wildfires Combine to Disproportionately Harm Less Affluent and Communities of Color

California ZIP code-scale survey exposes need for rethinking of public policy, say researchers

Green-tinged image of a barrel-shaped object sitting on end on ocean floor.

Second Seafloor Survey of Dumpsite off Coast of Southern California Completed

Researchers mapped 135 square miles, found high volume of discarded military munitions

Flooding in Sunamganj in the Sylhet Division of northeastern Bangladesh in June 2022.

Three Decades of Data In Bangladesh Show Elevated Risk of Infant Mortality In Flood-Prone Areas

The findings reveal the long term public health burden of environmental hazards that are predicted to worsen under climate change

Press Conference in Imperial Beach

UC San Diego’s Scripps Oceanography Awarded Funding to Develop Pathogen Forecast Model

Model aims to predict presence of harmful pathogens in Tijuana River Valley and Imperial Beach

Smog over Los Angeles neighborhoods

Fighting Climate Change Isn’t an Automatic Win for Environmental Justice

Some simulated pathways for reducing emissions in the U.S. maintained or exacerbated existing racial inequities

ALERTCalifornia Launches to Provide Essential Tools to Understand and Adapt to Natural Disasters

UC San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia public safety program leverages novel technology and cutting-edge research to understand the causes, behavior and aftereffects of wildfires and other natural disasters in the Golden State

Geisel Library at UC San Diego, with orange flowers in the foreground.

UC San Diego Receives $15M Cryptocurrency Donation, Largest for Research on Airborne Pathogens

Vitalik Buterin directs gift to research on aerosols, establishing the UC San Diego Meta-Institute for Airborne Disease in a Changing Climate

Polluted waters off Imperial Beach. Photo: WILDCOAST

Coastal Water Pollution Transfers to the Air in Sea Spray Aerosol and Reaches People on Land

Scientists find bacteria, chemical compounds from coastal water pollution in sea spray aerosol along Imperial Beach

Map highlighting countries surveyed by researchers studying links between climate change and childhood illness

Climate Change Exacerbating Gastrointestinal Problems in Children

Extreme weather events associated with diarrhea-related illness, death

Trematodes Centrocestus formosanus (left) and Haplorchis pumilio

Parasites Associated with Eating Fish Showing Up in Southern California Fishing Locales

Snail that hosts potentially dangerous flatworms found to be widespread

Illunima sign

Illumina Supports Enhanced Genomics-Enabled Discovery and Training Programs at UC San Diego

New laboratory automation technology will advance marine biomedical research, preparing students for biotech and genomics workforce

scientist studying beaker

Deciphering the Biosynthetic Gene Cluster for Potent Freshwater Toxin

Scientific discovery enables future monitoring of harmful toxin

Microbial ecologist Jack Gilbert

A Scientist's Life: Jack Gilbert

Microbial ecologist seeks ways to collaborate with bacteria to improve human and ecosystem health

Istock photo of smoggy Los Angeles

New Evidence Suggests California’s Environmental Policies Preferentially Protect Whites

Systemic racism could explain why minorities are exposed to more pollution throughout the state

Scientists Discover How Molecule Becomes Anticancer Weapon

Deep-sea microbe provides rich source of medically potent drugs

Photo: Rawpixel/iStockPhoto

Variable Precipitation Linked to Rising Infectious Disease among Young Children Worldwide

Global database analysis spotlights higher risk in low-to-middle-income nations

Outfall from San Antonio de los Buenos sewage treatment plant at Punta Banderas, Mexico

U.S.-Mexico Border Wastewater Transport Model Suggests Solutions to Reduce Coastal Contamination

Researchers model a variety of border sewage treatment scenarios, finding the best solution that provides greatest safety to the health of beachgoers

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