By Date

Eric Romero awarded NASA Future Investigators graduate fellowship

College of Natural Resources - Tue, 10/22/2024 - 10:51
Image:  PhD Student Eric Romero with Professor Iryna Dronova and Kass Green at UC Berkeley’s Geospatial Innovation Facility Date:  Tuesday, October 22, 2024 - 10:45 Legacy:  section header item:  Date:  Tuesday, October 22, 2024 - 10:45 headline_position:  Top Left headline_color_style:  Normal headline_width:  Long caption_color_style:  Normal caption_position:  Bottom Left Expose in main "News river"?:  yes

Q&A Development Economics

College of Natural Resources - Mon, 10/21/2024 - 16:01
Image:  thumbnail of professor Annan and Magruder Date:  Monday, October 21, 2024 - 16:00 Legacy:  section header item:  Date:  Monday, October 14, 2024 - 16:00 headline_position:  Top Left headline_color_style:  Normal headline_width:  Long caption_color_style:  Normal caption_position:  Bottom Left Expose in main "News river"?:  yes

New research identifies key gene in maize domestication

College of Natural Resources - Thu, 10/17/2024 - 16:08
Image:  A composite photo showing a mutant and normal ear of maize. Date:  Thursday, October 17, 2024 - 16:00 Legacy:  section header item:  Date:  Thursday, October 17, 2024 - 16:00 headline_position:  Top Left headline_color_style:  Normal headline_width:  Long caption_color_style:  Normal caption_position:  Bottom Left News/Story/Content tag(s):  Research News Expose in main "News river"?:  yes

Pathways to Equity

College of Natural Resources - Thu, 10/17/2024 - 15:32
Image:  illustration of Breakthrough Date:  Thursday, October 17, 2024 - 15:30 Legacy:  section header item:  Date:  Monday, October 14, 2024 - 15:30 headline_position:  Top Left headline_color_style:  Normal headline_width:  Long caption_color_style:  Normal caption_position:  Bottom Left Expose in main "News river"?:  yes

Pioneers of interdisciplinary sustainability

College of Natural Resources - Wed, 10/16/2024 - 16:20
Image:  Image of student holding up ERG sign Date:  Wednesday, October 16, 2024 - 16:15 Legacy:  section header item:  Date:  Tuesday, October 15, 2024 - 16:15 headline_position:  Top Left headline_color_style:  Normal headline_width:  Long caption_color_style:  Normal caption_position:  Bottom Left News/Story/Content tag(s):  Celebrating 50 Years Expose in main "News river"?:  yes

Postdoc Akanksha Thawani named STAT Wunderkind

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology - Wed, 10/16/2024 - 11:15

Akanksha Thawani STAT WunderkindMCB postdoc Akanksha Thawani (Nogales & Collins Labs) was selected as a 2024 STAT Wunderkind. This award recognizes Thawani as an outstanding early-career scientist and is for her research on Unraveling the mysteries of ‘the next CRISPR’. Read more about the STAT Wunderkind award and Thawani

Profile: A Bright Start

College of Natural Resources - Tue, 10/15/2024 - 16:52
Image:  Lee Chae standing for picture Date:  Tuesday, October 15, 2024 - 16:45 Legacy:  section header item:  Date:  Tuesday, October 15, 2024 - 16:45 headline_position:  Top Left headline_color_style:  Normal headline_width:  Long caption_color_style:  Normal caption_position:  Bottom Left News/Story/Content tag(s):  Student Stories Expose in main "News river"?:  yes

In Memoriam: Bruce Ames

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology - Thu, 10/10/2024 - 15:18

Bruce AmesIt is with great sadness we report the passing of Bruce N. Ames, who served as professor of biochemistry from 1968 to 1989, and then professor of molecular and cell biology from 1989 to 2000, and thereafter as a senior scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute from 2000 to 2018. Bruce was best known for the development of the Ames Test, a screen that made use of bacteria to test the mutagenic potential of natural and synthetic chemicals as a means to pinpoint possible carcinogens. He received many honors including the National Medal of Science, election to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal of the Genetics Society of America.
 

MCB alumnus David Baker wins Nobel Prize

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology - Thu, 10/10/2024 - 14:56

MCB alumnus David Baker received Nobel PrizeFormer MCB graduate student David Baker (PhD 1989) shared in this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for computational protein design". While at Berkeley, he conducted his doctoral dissertation research on protein transport and protein trafficking in yeast in the lab of Professor Randy Schekman. Read more about Baker's research and Nobel Prize

Profile: The Fungal Detective

College of Natural Resources - Wed, 10/09/2024 - 16:51
Image:  portrait of Mat holding up test tube Date:  Wednesday, October 9, 2024 - 16:45 Legacy:  section header item:  Date:  Tuesday, October 8, 2024 - 16:45 headline_position:  Top Left headline_color_style:  Normal headline_width:  Long caption_color_style:  Normal caption_position:  Bottom Left News/Story/Content tag(s):  Student Stories Expose in main "News river"?:  yes

Study links hurricanes to higher death rates long after storms pass

College of Natural Resources - Tue, 10/08/2024 - 16:24
Image:  hurricane top view Date:  Tuesday, October 8, 2024 - 16:15 Legacy:  section header item:  Date:  Tuesday, October 8, 2024 - 16:15 headline_position:  Top Left headline_color_style:  Normal headline_width:  Long caption_color_style:  Normal caption_position:  Bottom Left Expose in main "News river"?:  yes

Lucas and Zhang among NIH Director's New Innovator Awardees

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology - Tue, 10/08/2024 - 11:23

Lucas and Zhang receive NIH New Innovator AwardsAssistant Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology Bronwyn Lucas and Assistant Professor (Affiliated) of Molecular Therapeutics Ziyang Zhang are both among the 2024 NIH Director's New Innovator Awardees.

Evaluating Benefits of Electric Vehicle Subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act

College of Natural Resources - Mon, 10/07/2024 - 13:24
Electric Vehicles

Adobe Stock 

A new study by a multi-university team of economists shows that electric vehicle tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) decreased climate pollution and benefited US vehicle manufacturers but have mixed benefits relative to taxpayer costs.

The study, published today as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found that compared to pre-IRA policy, the IRA subsidies produced $1.87 in US benefits per dollar of government spending. These subsidies cost taxpayers $32,000 per additional electric vehicle (EV) sold, since 75% of funds went to consumers who would have bought an electric vehicle anyway. Compared to a scenario with no electric vehicle subsidies, however, the IRA policy generated only $1.02 in US benefits per dollar of government spending.

The IRA is considered by many to be the largest climate change investment in human history, with total costs forecast at up to $1 trillion. In addition to addressing climate change, the law sought to protect domestic manufacturing, secure supply chains, and achieve political sustainability across elections.

“Three compelling questions drove this research,” said Joseph Shapiro, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Berkeley and co-author of the paper.  “First, how have IRA EV credits affected vehicle markets? Next, should vehicle electrification policies reflect differences in climate damages across different EV models? And finally, how do green industrial policies like the IRA EV credits pit trade versus the environment and foreign countries versus the US?”

The research team from Duke, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and the University of Chicago analyzed detailed sales data from dealerships, which let them conclude that most of the spending benefited electric vehicle buyers rather than auto manufacturers. “The IRA EV credits are not a home run,” said Hunt Allcott, a professor at Stanford University and co-author of the study. “While the IRA’s electric vehicle tax credits have slowed climate change and shifted production to US manufacturing firms, they also impose high costs on US taxpayers.”

The study also found that the IRA could have generated far larger US benefits if it provided larger tax credits to cleaner EVs, since the environmental costs of driving an electric vehicle vary substantially across EVs due to variations in weight. For example, switching from a lighter Toyota Prius gasoline vehicle to a heavier Tesla Cybertruck supports vehicle electrification but actually increases climate pollution.

For purchased vehicles, the IRA subsidies require a vehicle to be assembled in North America and have sufficient supply chain content from the US and allied countries.

“These subsidies have both helped and hurt US allies," said co-author Felix Tintelnot, an associate professor at Duke. “Many US benefits came from shifting profits from foreign to US vehicle manufacturers. This profit shifting hurts our allies, but the climate benefits to US allies somewhat offset those costs.”

The researchers obtained these conclusions from comparing vehicle prices, leases, and purchase decisions in the months before and after specific vehicle models gained and lost eligibility for the IRA subsidies. The team also developed a model of consumers’ decisions about which vehicles to buy and auto manufacturers’ decisions about which vehicles to sell.

“This ‘Buy American’ policy pits trade versus the environment,” said Shapiro. “The IRA subsidies have advanced vehicle electrification by partially closing US markets. This is driving ahead on global climate policy but making a U-turn on global trade cooperation.”

The study also analyzes the IRA’s “leasing loophole,” which lets any vehicle leases qualify for subsidies, bypassing the trade restrictions. The study found that this loophole has negative US benefits, since it mostly encourages substitution to foreign vehicles without substantially benefiting the climate.

The study was funded in part by the Becker Friedman Institute of the University of Chicago and by grant funding from the National Science Foundation.

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Image:  Electric Vehicles Date:  Monday, October 7, 2024 - 13:15 Legacy:  section header item:  Date:  Thursday, October 3, 2024 - 13:15 headline_position:  Top Left headline_color_style:  Normal headline_width:  Long caption_color_style:  Normal caption_position:  Bottom Left News/Story/Content tag(s):  Research News Expose in main "News river"?:  yes

Assistant Professor Okamoto to co-lead new Bioeconomy Center

Department of Integrative Biology - Sun, 10/06/2024 - 09:31

Assistant Professor Daniel Okamoto will co-lead a new center to advance use of seaweed in the global economy. The International Bioeconomy Macroalgae Center (IBMC) at UC Berkeley, will address the need for foundational knowledge, technological approaches, supply chain designs, policy frameworks, community engagement, and educational materials for businesses and consumers to build sustainable macroalgal-based bioeconomies. Read the full article here

Categories: Science News

New center to advance use of seaweed in the global economy

College of Natural Resources - Wed, 10/02/2024 - 09:46
Image:  An underwater scene showing seaweed, fish, and other sea life Date:  Wednesday, October 2, 2024 - 09:45 Legacy:  section header item:  Date:  Wednesday, October 2, 2024 - 09:45 headline_position:  Top Left headline_color_style:  Normal headline_width:  Long caption_color_style:  Normal caption_position:  Bottom Left Expose in main "News river"?:  yes

Singapore internships

Department of Bioengineering - Wed, 10/02/2024 - 00:35
 A*STAR Graduate Academy is offering a 2 to 6-month research attachment through the Singapore International Pre-Graduate Award (SIPGA) for undergraduate and master’s students in STEM fields. Students can gain hands-on experience working with world-renowned researchers in Singapore from May 2025. Eligible applicants must be in their 3rd or 4th year or enrolled in a master’s program, […]
Categories: Science News

Assistant Professor Víctor Ortega Jiménez and Electrostatic Ecology

Department of Integrative Biology - Tue, 10/01/2024 - 16:28

Insect attracting nematode with static, credit Victor Ortega Jiménez

Assistant Professor Víctor Ortega Jiménez and his research on Electrostatic Ecology is featured in a fascinating article about how insects use static electricity for many purposes such catching prey and collecting pollen.   Read the Full Article 

Categories: Science News

Faculty focus on Leah Guthrie

Department of Bioengineering - Tue, 10/01/2024 - 11:10

Leah Guthrie, waist up, standing on a lawn in front of trees. She is wearing a green sweater and black pants.

Professor Leah Guthrie works to understand how the microbiome metabolites and proteins communicate with our human cells to influence our physiology and pathophysiology. Learn more about Guthrie in this interview with QB3.
Categories: Science News

Delcassian receives seed funding for cancer research

Department of Bioengineering - Tue, 10/01/2024 - 10:34

Clare Lou (left) and Derfogail Delcassian stand before a banner for the Innovative Genomics Institute

Professor Derfogail Delcassian has been awarded $1 million in non-dilutive seed funding to accelerate the commercialization of her work on targeted molecular therapies for hard-to-treat cancers.
Categories: Science News