Sea level rise could drastically erode California beaches by the end of the century

Sea level rise could drastically erode California beaches by the end of the century

Kathleen Treseder thinks a lot about potential solutions for problems like erosion. She studies and teaches climate change at the University of California, Irvine. She says many of the expensive homes along Orange County’s coastline might withstand waves lapping at their porches, but they could be taken out by a storm surge.

Save the bumblebees!

When most people think about saving the bees, its usually the honeybees. In reality, saving the honeybee population is just the beginning. There are thousands of other species of wild bees we should be thinking about. They are not only vital to the ecosystem, studying wild bees has benefits for humans too.
KCBS Radio’s Liz Saint John spoke with Tobin J. Hammer, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Irvine.

Psychonomic Early Career Award

The Psychonomic Society will confer scientific awards each year upon young scientists who have made excellent scientific contributions to the field of cognitive psychology early in their careers.

The secret life of bumblebees

Bees that build microbreweries, ride a miniature merry-go-round and possibly even wear diapers. In biologist Tobin Hammer’s UCI lab, all sorts of unusual projects unfold.

UC Irvine biologists find what colors a butterfly’s world

UC Irvine biologists find what colors a butterfly’s world

In searching for the genetic mechanism behind this difference, the UCI biologists selected as their subject Heliconius charithonia, in which visual capacity is sexually dimorphic. When they finished assembling the first complete genome for this species, they learned that its W – or female – chromosome contained the opsin gene.

Sweet smell of success: Simple fragrance method produces major memory boost

Sweet smell of success: Simple fragrance method produces major memory boost

When a fragrance wafted through the bedrooms of older adults for two hours every night for six months, memories skyrocketed. Participants in this study by University of California, Irvine neuroscientists reaped a 226% increase in cognitive capacity compared to the control group. The researchers say the finding transforms the long-known tie between smell and memory into an easy, non-invasive technique for strengthening memory and potentially deterring dementia.