UCLA in the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription. See more UCLA in the News.
The human labor behind AI chatbots | Marketplace Tech
“Now, we all know that the internet is filled with the best information and the greatest stuff all the time, right? So what’s required for something like that is to have human beings with their special ability of discernment and good judgement, and sometimes visceral reactions to material — and in the case of ChatGPT, to cull material out, material that users, or more importantly, companies, would not want inside of their products as a potential output,” said UCLA’s Sarah Roberts. (Roberts was interviewed.)
Federal funds for wildfire prevention | Los Angeles Times
Though the heavy rain and snow have brought some relief to the drought-stricken state, the precipitation could lead to extra growth of brush and grass that quickly turn to kindling in the summer and autumn months, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA … “Just because we have a really wet winter does not mean that it’s obviously a mild fire season everywhere,” he added. “But it does change the dynamics.” (Swain was also quoted by CNN and in a separate Los Angeles Times story.)
Is extreme climate making the state less desirable? | ABC News
California has experienced a population boom in the past decade, despite the plethora of extreme weather in recent years, according to experts. The high cost of living in California is indicative of the desirability of living there, Michael Lens, an associate professor of urban planning and public policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, told ABC News.
United Nations issues new climate report | KCRW-FM’s ‘Press Play’
This report warns that we are nearing catastrophic levels of global warming and irreversible damage within the next decade … “The disruptions — the crazy weather in the winters, the crazy fire seasons, the extended droughts. The most recent example that you think would have really hammered home just how bad things might be are the floods in Pakistan last monsoon season,” said UCLA’s Edward Parson (approx. 4:30 mark).
Ending ‘zero-COVID’ policy cost Chinese lives | Associated Press
Chinese state media claimed the decision to open up was based on “scientific analysis and shrewd calculation,” and “by no means impulsive.” But in reality, China’s ruling Communist Party ignored repeated efforts by top medical experts to kickstart exit plans until it was too late, The Associated Press found. … “If they had a real plan to exit earlier, so many things could have been avoided,” said Zhang Zuo-Feng, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Many deaths could have been prevented.”
How will influx of rain impact regional allergies | LAist-89.3 FM’s ‘AirTalk’
“A small amount of rain … a little shower here and there, cleans the air... What has happened in this particular season, with the record rainfall and thunderstorms, have ironically made allergies worse,” said Dr. Maria Garcia-Lloret (approx. 1:25 mark).
Hammer Museum’s $90 million renovation | Los Angeles Times
As part of the [UCLA] Hammer’s two-decade, $90-million reinvention — the final phase of which debuts this week — the Grunwald Center now features a new, state-of-the-art study room and an adjacent gallery for works on paper … It’s an incredible resource — if you know it’s there. “That’s the challenge — many people just don’t know it exists,” says Hammer Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs Cynthia Burlingham, who’s also the Grunwald Center’s longtime director.
Travel warning over fake pharmaceuticals in Mexico | HealthDay News
UCLA researchers published a preprint study in January after visiting four northern Mexico cities. Researchers found 68% of 40 Mexican pharmacies sold Oxycodone, Xanax or Adderall. About 27% of those pharmacies sold fake pills. “Brick and mortar pharmacies in Northern Mexican tourist towns are selling counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine. These pills are sold mainly to U.S. tourists, and are often passed off as controlled substances such as Oxycodone, Percocet and Adderall,” according to the study. (UCLA’s Chelsea Shover was quoted. Also: La Opinión.)
DEA issues alert on threat of xylazine | CNN
Fentanyl is a fast-acting opioid, and users say that adding xylazine can extend the duration of that high, said Joseph Friedman, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Trailer parks are neglected by landlords | CalMatters
Of the at least 383 parks in California that run their own water systems, 70% of them are at risk of failure — a higher proportion than any other housing type, according to an unpublished analysis of water system risk shared by Gregory Pierce, co-director of the Luskin Center for Innovation at the University of California, Los Angeles. “I can tell you, especially from talking to people who are supposed to be overseeing and trying to fix issues where people don’t have clean water in the state, mobile home park-run water systems stand out,” Pierce said.
Tenants scramble as county protections expire | CalMatters
Already in L.A. County unlawful detainer filings for eviction have surged over the prior two years, when there were more layers of protection for tenants. In 2020 and 2021, there were 13,796 and 12,646 unlawful detainer filings, respectively — record lows in what had been a steady downward trend in eviction filings since the 2008 recession, said Kyle Nelson, an eviction researcher at UCLA.
A map of the moon’s water is here | Popular Science
A confident claim of water on the south pole of the moon explains “why we are targeting these regions so intently for the next phase of human and robotic lunar exploration,” says UCLA planetary scientist Tyler Horvath, who was not involved in the project.