News
NASA’s Newest Space Telescope Relies on UA Technology
Assembled with UA technology and know-how, the Near Infrared Camera that will form the heart of the James Webb Space Telescope is ready to be shipped to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and soon will be integrated into the telescope structure. Also, thanks to a UA-led outreach program, the Girl Scouts have played a special role in science and astronomy education across America.
$6M Grant Boosts Molecular Heart Research
Combining the resources and expertise of seven institutions in North America and Europe, a research program will offer new insights into the molecular workings of heart muscle cells and how genetic mutations affect their function. Henk Granzier, a UA professor of physiology, is one of two principal investigators leading the prestigious and highly competitive project.
Happy 90th Birthday, Steward Observatory
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the UA's Steward Observatory and the department of astronomy. "We have the best location of any educational institution in America. The University ought to make itself famous with a telescope." With those words, part of his long and persistent effort to bring a world-class observatory to the UA campus, pioneering astronomer Andrew Ellicott Douglass set forth his best argument.
UA Grows Gourmet Mushrooms That Recycle Waste
Mushrooms are the great decomposers of the Earth. What can these voracious fungi do with urban waste? That's what plant scientists at UA are studying. They're growing mushrooms on coffee grounds, landscape waste, even pizza boxes - and reducing that waste to compost. They're also producing delicious high-quality gourmet mushrooms that could be headed to market.
Supernova Discovered at UA SkyCenter
Adam Block, host and astrophotographer at the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, unexpectedly discovered a supernova - a massive star ending its life in a giant explosion - in a photo obtained with the center's Schulman Telescope for a different purpose. He spotted the supernova in a photo he took of a famous galaxy that is 400 million light years away.
Marks on Martian Dunes May Reveal Tracks of Dry-Ice Sleds
Chunks of frozen carbon dioxide most likely carved linear gullies into sand dunes on Mars, according to a new study combining images from the UA-operated HiRISE camera and experiments conducted on dunes here on Earth. The results add to a series of discoveries reminding us that Mars is less Earth-like than it may seem.
UA Astronomy Campers Communicate with Space Station Astronaut
Students with the UA beginning teen Astronomy Camp on June 8 got to ask questions of an astronaut orbiting 250 miles above Earth. And just like a rocket launch, the contact was a quick yet thrilling experience. The UA's Don McCarthy said the camp's first time having contact with an astronaut was hotly anticipated, even before the campers arrived in Tucson.
Biotech Crops vs. Pests: Successes, Failures From the First Billion Acres
Experts with the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have published a landmark study analyzing why pest resistance to genetically modified crops evolved quickly in some cases, but not in other cases. The global assessment could help to gauge the risk of resistance for new biotech crops before they are commercialized.
Astronomers Gear Up to Discover Earth-Like Planets
Dust clouds around stars are thought to hide undiscovered planets with conditions suitable for life, but observations have been hampered by the fact that only the brightest such clouds can be detected with current technology. UA astronomers are developing a technique to detect faint dust clouds, many of which might hide Earth-like planets.
