The New York Times reported that technology companies are pouring vast resources into reasoning systems capable of solving open math problems, signaling a paradigm shift for mathematicians. Those in the field, like UCLA’s Terence Tao, are becoming more open to the potential for AI to become a useful tool, or even a partner, as models get more advanced. “About 12 months ago, you could still say that these are curiosities or overblown and can’t be useful,” said Tao, a Fields Medal-winning mathematician. “Now you can’t hold that position.” (Tao was also profiled in Quanta.) Read more about UCLA in today’s USA Today, CNN and others.  

More highlights from UCLA in the News: June 9, 2026

The latest on the conflict in Iran | CNN

“In the late ‘60s and ‘70s, you had, in the height of the Cold War, President Nixon and Secretary of State Kissinger linked what the Soviets wanted from the diplomacy with Vietnam, basically saying ‘okay, you want concessions from the U.S., then we want support on ending the war in Vietnam.’ They did the same with China. This linkage was a way to bring a third front or third party into a conflict. Now we’re seeing that here,” said UCLA’s Benjamin Radd.

Ebola updates and impacts on healthcare workers | BBC News

“Talking about this issue of trust is so critical right now. We can do anything in terms of funding and resources to the outbreak, but what’s going to really control it is having the right people on the ground. Those local healthcare workers, the people who the community normally trusts, be able to get out there and talk to religious leaders, to traditional healers, to political people on the ground,” said UCLA’s Anne Rimoin (approx. 1:00 mark).  

Breakthrough pancreatic cancer drug nearly doubles survival in trial | USA Today

“Seeing this magnitude of benefit in a randomized phase 3 study is very encouraging for all patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and is a paradigm shift in this deadly disease,” Dr. Zev Wainberg, professor of medicine and investigator at UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer and co-first author of the study, said in a news release.  

Air pollution exposure may raise risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes | Bakersfield.com

Now a peer-reviewed study from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health has found that exposure to a common environmental pollutant contributes to inflammation among pregnant women, which is thought to play a role in adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and even developmental issues in children. While previous research has identified associations between air pollution exposure during pregnancy and increased risk of such outcomes, the newly published findings offer insight into the potential biological factors involved. (UCLA’s Beate Ritz was quoted.)  

Spencer Pratt comes up short in Los Angeles, drawing hollow claims of fraud | The Hill

“He would have to beat her from this point forward if he is to come back, and I don’t see that happening,” Zev Yaroslavsky, the director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs — and himself a former member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors — told this column. (Yaroslavsky was also quoted by The New York Times.)

Summer berries can be full of pesticides. Here’s how to wash them | CNN Health

“Overall, soaking with vinegar or baking soda had the highest median percent reduction — about 50% — across all pesticides and produce,” said Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, in an email. 

Understanding anorexia’s grip on the brain could unlock new therapies | New Scientist

But Sahib Khalsa at the University of California, Los Angeles, who researches and treats eating disorders, says without more data from large trials, it is too soon to change how we treat anorexia.