‘The mystery bird of New Guinea’: A rediscovery to remember January 31, 2025 Jared Diamond celebrates his 58-year UCLA career and reflects on his landmark sighting of the long-lost golden-fronted bowerbird.
What is magic? December 12, 2024 In practice and in scholarship, magic continues to intrigue and inspire students, faculty and staff throughout UCLA. Here are a few quick glimpses behind the glamour.
A Newsroom aviary September 3, 2024 Check out a sampling of a decade’s worth of bird research by UCLA faculty and students.
Wild megalopolis: Study shows unexpected pockets of biodiversity pepper Los Angeles May 29, 2024 UCLA researchers partnered with the city to develop an index that shows how individual wildlife species are doing.
Acute sense of touch helps hummingbirds hover near flowers without bumping them May 29, 2024 A new study shows that they create a 3D map of their body when neurons in the forebrain fire as gusts of air touch their wings.
Newsroom’s top videos: Wooden’s stamp on history, Bruinettes pride and more March 11, 2024 In addition, how doctoral student AJ Addae is opening doors for people of color in cosmetics research, and the impact of AI on the academy.
WATCH: Great ape children poke and run from adults, like humans February 16, 2024 A UCLA-led team of scientists observed youngsters of orangutans and other apes engaging in playful teasing to get adults’ attention.
Over three dozen UCLA faculty listed among world’s most influential researchers November 16, 2023 The faculty members have published research that is cited most often by other scholars in their fields.
Inequality not inevitable among mammals, study shows October 13, 2023 Fairness has played as big a role in the evolution of species as dominance and hierarchy — but has been understudied.
Whaling wiped out far more fin whales than previously thought October 12, 2023 A study by UCLA biologists shows a 99% population reduction in the 20th century, but genetic diversity remains high.
Birds living at UCLA were less afraid of humans after the pandemic closure August 22, 2023 After a year with little human interaction, dark-eyed juncos were surprisingly more comfortable with people once campus life returned to normal.
Birds raise fewer young when spring arrives earlier in a warming world July 3, 2023 A new study led by scientists at UCLA and Michigan State suggests that conservation strategies address avian responses to climate-driven shifts.
Megalodon was no cold-blooded killer June 26, 2023 A killer, yes. But an analysis of tooth minerals reveals how the warm-blooded predator maintained its body temperature.
Disney mermaids aren’t the only wondrous creatures ‘under the sea’ May 25, 2023 On the eve of the “Little Mermaid” premiere, a UCLA doctoral candidate speaks up for the jellyfish.
What does it take to thrive in cities, if you’re a bird? May 2, 2023 A UCLA-led study finds that urban bird species tend to be smaller and less territorial and have greater ability to fly long distances.
Biological bouncers: How immune cells yank antigens from surfaces to learn and evolve April 12, 2023 This use of mechanical force helps B cells confront new pathogens and remember them while continuing to combat other threats.
Emerging field of evolutionary medicine could address range of health conditions February 28, 2023 UCLA researchers say the approach could help tackle cancer, antibiotic resistance and food-related disorders.
7 professors named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science February 9, 2023 The honorees are Roger Wakimoto, Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Kenneth Nagy, Yi Tang, Tommaso Treu, Christine Dunkel Schetter and Gary Orfield.
UCLA-led research could help restore endangered fish species native to Southern California February 6, 2023 Sequencing the genome of the unarmored threespine stickleback has given scientists clues that could guide conservation measures.
In memoriam: Robert Wayne, 66, pioneer of conservation genetics, protecting canids and other species January 24, 2023 His research helped explain the evolution of dogs and showed that freeways are a barrier to bobcat and coyote migration.
When migrating birds go astray, disturbances in magnetic field may be partly to blame January 13, 2023 A new UCLA study could help scientists better understand threats to birds — and their ability to adapt.
Argentine ants will do anything for sugar, but they won’t do this December 7, 2022 In a twist that surprised researchers, the insects were less likely to forage for food when they were starving than when they were well fed.
Male orb-weaving spiders fight less in female-dominated colonies November 30, 2022 A study led by four UCLA undergraduates also found that the arachnids cooperate, a rarity among spiders.
Birds getting smaller, ‘wingier’ as planet warms, UCLA-led research finds October 27, 2022 The 30-year study of 105 migratory species reveals how strongly temperature affects animals’ physical characteristics.
Genomic analysis reveals true origin of South America’s canids September 19, 2022 The continent’s diverse species all evolved very rapidly from a single ancestral population, a UCLA-led study shows.