biological sciences

Advanced statistical techniques enabled UCLA researchers to look backward in time hundreds of thousands of years without fossil DNA.

Wondering how to woo your crush this Valentine’s Day? When it comes to love, don’t wing it — take a lesson from the birds (and bees) instead.

Nobel, who is a plant physiological ecologist, is the world’s leading authority on the environmental biology of agaves and cacti.

UCLA-led research also finds that travel-related screening for coronavirus will identify less than half of those infected.

Nano-related science and art were on display during the UCLA-MindshareLA event, which underscored UCLA’s commitment to share the knowledge it’s creating beyond Westwood.

The results should be useful to scientists studying genes involved in sleep, vision, memory and many other processes in humans.

The advance could help scientists identify drugs to treat fibrosis, which plays a role in chronic kidney disease, liver cirrhosis and many other conditions.

UCLA researchers discovered differences in maternal and paternal X chromosomes that help explain sex differences in the immune system.

Dr. Zhijian “James” Chen won the 2019 Switzer Prize, which recognizes excellence in basic biological science.

The study, conducted in mice, is the first to show that creatine uptake is critical to the anti-tumor activities of what is known as killer T cells, the foot soldiers of the immune system.

UCLA evolutionary biologist Blaire Van Valkenburgh links an increase in fractured teeth to a dwindling supply of the carnivores' prey.

Research shows that certain gut bacteria can respond to serotonin and drugs that influence serotonin, like anti-depressants. The biologists call this a unique form of communication between bacteria and cells.

Research brief: The team developed an approach to visualizing structure called microcrystal electron diffraction, which allowed the researchers to confirm how the newly discovered molecular assembly pathway works.

The findings have implications for the conservation of rare and endangered species, in which low genetic diversity could increase the odds of extinction.

UCLA researchers launch open-source software that can identify a broad range of species from samples.

Dr. Zhijian (James) Chen of the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas is the recipient. Chen has performed groundbreaking work on the mechanisms underlying the cellular response to infection.

The bequest by Sidney Roberts and Clara Szego Roberts reflects the couple’s backgrounds — both benefited from college scholarships — and their passion for science and the arts.

UCLA professor Kent Hill said the new insights could apply to other disease-causing parasites as well, including those that cause Chagas disease.

Ecologist Jeff Holmquist explains why there are so many painted lady butterflies in Southern California this year — and why he’s betting on this species despite climate change.

Differences in the amygdala between males and females help to explain why the two sexes behave differently as parents.

Shane Campbell-Staton says “superheroes give us the opportunity to discuss where the science meets the fiction, and how scientific innovation influences our lives.”

LL37 molecules, which are found in the immune system, play an important but unexpected role in revving up the body’s self-defense response.

“This is a pervasive, global problem.... It’s in all types of landscapes — urban, rural and even untouched environments,” says Seth Riley, a co-author of the research.

Jacobsen specializes in plant epigenetics — the study of how a gene’s function can change without changes to the DNA sequence.

The study is the most comprehensive published effort to date to identify the source of neurodegeneration across species.